The Many Personalities of Spain
by Writer-Girl-19
Summary: England casts a spell to rid himself of Spain. As expected it goes wrong; leaving Romano to deal with the many personalities of Spain. That sounds like a normal day for Romano, right? It would be if the personalities not had their own personifications.
1. Prologue: A Spell Gone Wrong

**A/N:**

**Summary: England, in an attempt to get rid of his most hated enemy (Spain), casts a spell that will erase his existence. As usual whenever England tries his hand at magic something goes horribly wrong, leaving Romano to deal with the many different personalities of Spain. That sounds like a normal day for Romano, right? Well it would be if it weren't for the fact that each personality has its own personification now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form, ****Hidekaz Himaruya does.**

**Warning: Later chapters will contain explicit language and BL (BoyXBoy). There may or may not be graphic scenes later on, it depends on how comfortable I am writing them.**

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><p>"That bloody bastard. He's pissed me off for the last time!" An irate England snarled, striding through his house towards his study, already thinking of what curses he could use, which ones would cause that Spanish git the most pain.<p>

Upon reaching his study he flung open the doors and started to search the shelves for his spell books. There had to be one that could offer a spell or a hex gruesome enough, right? Though, if worse comes to worse he could always cast a spell on the arse's precious little South Italy.

He was about to do just that when one of the old tomes he rarely used fell to the floor, opening to a page that presented the perfect spell to the infuriated Brit. A twisted grin quickly spread across the country's face as he skimmed through the spell.

"_To destroy one's enemy, the power you seek, to divide his strength, and leave him weak. You must this spell repeat…"_

Arthur had never used this particular spell before, he was not quite sure what the spell promised in its cryptic words but as long as it destroyed one's enemies then surely it was good enough!

He quickly read the spell aloud, chanting words so old even he had forgotten most of them and their origins. Despite this, he was sure he was pronouncing them correctly and he was positive that when the room lit with a brilliant green light that he had cast the spell flawlessly. All that was left was to wait for the next world meeting to roll around; then he could gloat when the Iberian nation failed to arrive.

Oh yes, Arthur was sure that nothing could deprive him of his victory and that nothing could dampen his mood, not even that hamburger loving America. Especially not him.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain returned the ancient tome to its proper shelf before deciding to leave it on his desk where it did not face the risk of falling again. He was not certain the old book would survive another fall, besides he didn't not know if he would have need of it again. After all, he had been wanting to knock that accursed frog down a few pegs recently.

He left the room, smirk wavering as he briefly contemplated whether this was a little extreme when all Spain had done was accidently run into him at the World Meeting today; no doubt he'd been chasing Romano again. He quickly shook this thought from his mind and firmly affixed his smirk; assured that he was in the right. After all, Spain hadn't apologized had he.

The door swung shut behind England, leaving him unaware of the ancient tome that he believed he'd left sitting closed on his desk flipping back open to the page from which he'd casted the spell before turning to the next page.

"_He will be divided, the strength of one shall become three, and the past will be given form. Only through the acceptance of all may the three reunite to become one._"

However that couldn't have been too important right?

**~ve~ve~ve~ve~ve~ve~ve~pasta~ve~ve~ve~ve~ve~ve~ve~**

Spain locked the door behind him, Lovi was always lecturing him about how he forgot to close the doors, so cute. He then shuffled up the stairs, thoroughly exhausted and sore. Why did his little tomato have to punch so hard? All he'd wanted was a hug. Didn't help that someone had tripped him as he tried to catch up to the feisty little Italian. If he were a gambling man he'd have bet it had been England, but they'd been on okay terms recently so it probably wasn't him.

He collapsed into bed, a warm smiling making its way onto his face. He would get to see his precious little Lovi soon. He'd promised all flustered and stuttering that if the Spaniard had left him alone for the rest of the meeting he would visit as soon as he felt like it. He hugged his pillow close. If he knew his Lovi then that meant he'd be here sometime this week. He couldn't wait!

The tingle that ran up his spine just as he drifted to sleep was completely ignored. Probably just excited about seeing Lovi.


	2. Ch 1: What Did You Do?

**A/N:**

**Most of what is written here is fanon since it has been forever since I've seen Hetalia. So if they seem OOC that's why.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form, ****Hidekaz Himaruya does.**

**Warning: Explicit language and BL (BoyXBoy). There may or may not be graphic scenes later on, it depends on how comfortable I am writing them.**

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><p>Okay, so let's get one thing straight. I am not visiting Spain because I miss that tomato bastard; also, I was in no way missing my colony days. I was just visiting because if I didn't he would start to pout and whine, and when that didn't work (Shut up, that shit doesn't work on me) he would start to call me and leave obnoxious messages on my home phone as well as my cell phone.<p>

Yes, the only way to prevent that headache was to just give in now and get the damn visit over with. Besides if the last World Meeting was any indication the bastard was just days from showing up unannounced on my front lawn, demanding to be let in and "let boss give his little tomate a hug".

And before you accuse me of showing up unannounced, I'd told the bastard at the last meeting I'd drop by soon. You know, if I felt like it. Which just coincidentally happened to be the day after the meeting…shut up, I don't miss that pervert! I just told him I'd visit get him to stop chasing me around at the meeting yesterday. I was only here so he wouldn't do it again.

I parked in front of said pervert's house, if you could call it that, it's more like a freaking huge mansion. I still have unpleasant memories of getting lost in those damn corridors as a child.

As I stepped out of my Ferrari I serious contemplated getting back in and driving the Hell back to Italy before the bastard knew I was here, but of course luck is never on my side and no sooner had I started to step back into the car did the front door slam open.

"Lovi~!" I wasn't even given a chance to break into a sprint before someone (tomato bastard of course) tackled me into a hug, if you could call the rib crushing attack such a thing. "I knew you'd visit today~!" He cried squeezing me even harder before comparing me to a damn tomato.

"You don't know jack-shit, asshole. Now let go of me!" I snarled trying to head butt him. "And don't call me a tomato!"

When the bastard finally let me go – I mean when I overpowered him with my Italian badassery (shut up, it exists! Just ask the mafia!) I attempted to straighten out my crinkled clothing but was prevented once again when Spain somehow managed to lace his fingers through mine (no, I did not let him) and pull me towards the house.

"Come inside, Lovi~! You're a little earlier than I thought you'd be, you missed Big Boss Spain didn't you." I replied with something to the effect of Vaffanculo but he either didn't hear or didn't give a shit. Probably the first, Spain was an oblivious bastard after all.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter if you're early or not, mi precioso tomate! I made enough breakfast for both of us and …" I'm sure as anyone who knows Spain, knows that he just rambled from then on out about whatever random shit entered his brain, or whatever it is that serves as a brain (it's probably a tomato).

I attempted to act disgusted with having to eat the breakfast that was all but shoved at me but that was difficult because I'll give that bastard one thing, he's a fantastic cook, almost Italian good. I'd never admit that of course, not even if I was being threatened with England's cooking. Bastard would only call me cute and try and hug me some more if I told him that. Oh, and let's get one thing straight right now: Lovino Romano Vargas. Is. Not. Cute. Not ever.

…

Glad we cleared that up.

"I suppose it's not too bad - bastard." I managed to quickly add at the last second. For some unexplainable reason I had recently forgotten to insult Spain…I'm sure it's just because he's been acting like less of a dumbass recently. I looked over at the tomato bastard only to find him trying to communicate with one of his numerous turtles, I pretty sure the damn thing had been sitting on top of his head when he greeted-I mean mugged me at my car.

Nope, he's just as much of a dumbass as usual…so did that mean I was going soft? Was I willingly being nicer to the bastard…

HELL NO!  
>Just for good measure I kicked the bastard as I made my way to the sink where I dumped my dishes for Spain to clean up before proceeding to the living room.<p>

"Oww, Lovi~! So mean to your poor boss." He whined, attempting once again to hug me, somehow managing to succeed (I did not let him I tell you!). "Why are you so mean, mi tomate?"

I smacked him away when I saw him reaching for my curl. "Because you're a pervert, and don't call me Lovi, bastard!" I threatened before finally making my way unhindered to the living room leaving the bastard to cry on the floor, because yes, I was just that badass. I wasn't the country of the mafia for nothing.

"Pomodoro Bastardo. What makes him think he can hug me whenever he wants." I grouched. "He's lucky I don't feel like calling up the mafia but I swear if that bastard tries anything funny one more time, that pervert is – "

"Is what, Romano?" I froze mid-step, halting in the door frame as my eyes landed on the speaker, who, for all accounts and purposes looked just like the bastard I'd left crying in the kitchen, pining after my hugs. The only difference was he was wearing the clothes he used to back in his pirate days and was smirking at me in a very non-Antonio sort of way. If I didn't know any better I'd say it was a flirty smirk, but that bastard knew better than to try that funny shit with me (unless he had been out drinking with those losers he calls friends and shows up drunk at my house).

"What the Hell are you doing dressed like that, bastard? Or better yet, how did you have time to change into that and get here before me? I just left you in the kitchen, tomato bastard – "

Spain, pirate garb and all, backed me up against the wall, blocking me from escape with an arm on either side of my head. If I wasn't so scared – indifferent, (I wasn't scared of anything, especially not this bastard) then I'd probably be more concerned with how close Spain was and how his smirk had turned more smug if that was possible.

"I swear, Spain, if this another one of those plots that fuckface France and Potato bastard number two put you up to I will – "

"You'll what, Roma?" He all but purred, leaning into me now. "Please tell me." He lisped in my ear causing heat to rise to my face no doubt making me turn the red of tomatoes. I was sure that any minute now Spain would drop this whole act and start cooing about how cute I was, and for once in my life I wished he would.

"So beautiful, Roma." Spain whispered, his hand dropping from their place on the wall to rest just above my hips.

"S-s-Spain!" I (did not) whimper. "W-what are you d-doing?" I'd never seen Antonio act like this, not even during his pirate days, not towards me at least. Then again I was practically a kid back then and no matter how much I teased the bastard about it Spain was not a pedophile, he was just a little too obsessed with cute things (not to say I'm cute in any way or ever was).

"What does it look like, mi querido?" He purred, rolling the r in a way that made me shiver in d– in discomfort obviously! Mio Dio, what were you thinking, you perverts!

It wasn't until he nibbled on the tip of my ear did I snap out of my daze and head butt his sorry ass away from me. Now usually when I head-butt Spain he backs off quickly and whines like the bitch he is about how mean I am but this time he just barely backed off and he looked pissed more than anything. Bearing this in mind, I ran for it. As a kid I'd never once been scared of Spain during his pirate days but right now I suddenly knew how the people facing his Armada must have felt. If I didn't get out of there fast he would hurt me…or do something weird again.

"Stay away from me, bast-Spain!" I yelped as I heard him gaining on me. It probably wasn't a good idea to call the crazy Spaniard chasing you a bastard and us Italians were nothing if not excellent survivors.

I'm not sure at what point I had started to run to my old room but no sooner had I started towards the flight of stairs did I run into something. Now, I'll admit I've always been clumsy and couldn't clean for shit because of it but I've never actually run headfirst into walls!

I looked up into emerald eyes and immediately my heart froze. How had he managed to get in front of me? I attempted to turn back around and dart away again but arms like steel bars wrapped themselves around me and kept me held against an as equally unyielding chest.

"Please, Spain! Let me go!" I begged (but if anyone ever told me that I'd…I'd…I'd have Feli stick the macho potato on them!) struggling vainly to break free. "I didn't mean to hit you, honest. I-It's just-you were being weird and – ."

"Calm down, Italy Romano." He grumbled, loosen his grip slightly and holding me at a distance so that he could look me over. "Why are you running? Is France here? Or is it Turkey?"

Once again my brain shut down as I took in not only the complete switch in personality (yet again) but the outfit change. Spain now looked like he did back in his Conquistador days, armor and all. His halberd was even strapped to his back.

"Wh-What?" What was he talking about. I hadn't seen the Fuckface since the world meeting and although he had attempted to molest me, no more so than usual, Spain had politely warned him to stop; if a broken hand could be considered a polite warning that is.

As for Turkey, I hadn't really seen that bastard in person for any extended period of time since he'd tried to kidnap me as a kid. I only ever saw Turkey in passing and even then it's not like he made any threats towards me. Then again Spain was always very close by whenever Turkey was around. I think that he had something to do with why the tomato bastard was chasing me around during the last meeting.

"Have they hurt you, Romano? Because I can assure you that once I deal with them they'll never bother you again." Spain promised. If I hadn't been in a state of panic I might have taken advantage of the offer and had Spain destroy that pervert he calls a friend; but as it was I was not in the right state of mind to care about ridding the world of the fuckface.

"What no I – "

"Ah, there you are, Roma." A voice purred behind me. "I was wondering where you had run off to, you always were the fast one." I attempted to turn around in Spain's arms; there was no way this was happening. I had to be hearing things.

"Why don't you hand him over, España?" The arms around me tightened. "I promise to take real good care of mi Romanito." I shuddered, unsure whether to be afraid of that promise or creeped out.

"No, Spain. You will not be allowed to corrupt my colony." Conquistador Spain snarled at his counterpart. I figured now was not the time to inform him of my current independent status or how I hadn't been his colony for centuries now.

I looked nervously between the two of them; either I was having a nervous breakdown or this was one fucked up dream (no doubt thanks to Feliciano and his attempts to mix pasta with German food, which he would then test on me).

"Hey, Lovi~!" My eyes grew impossibly wider. "What's going on out here? I heard all this noise and I thought maybe my cute little tomate had hurt himself, and - Oh." He grinned at not only me but his doppelgangers. "I see you found the others."

"You mean you knew about them, tomato bastard!" I screeched, once again struggling to get out of España's hold (I was just going to refer to Conquistador Spain as España now, maybe that would reduce the possibility of my head imploding.) this time struggling so I could strangle that oblivious bastard who was still cooing about how damn cute I was what with my flushed face (I was not blushing! It just took a lot of effort to escape España's hold).

"Well yeah, Lovi~! I woke up this morning and they were there." He replied as if such an occurrence was the most natural thing in the world.

"And you didn't think something was wrong! You really are a dumbass!" I growled. "How did this even happen?"

Pirate Spain seemed to have grown bored with the whole conversation and was once again attempting to get España to let go of me so he could resume 'playing with his little Roma', if I wasn't so creeped out by him and not being held captive at the moment I would have punched him in the face.

"Well. I'm not sure, Lovi~." Spa-you know what, I'm going to just call him Antonio from now on (only in my head, of course, cause if I called the bastard by his human name he'd be so damn pleased he'd hug me until I couldn't breathe and there's no way I'd give him that satisfaction). Anyways, Antonio actually made to look like he was pondering over the dilemma (don't hurt yourself I wanted to tell him) before shrugging and returning to giving me goofy grins.

"Okay. So let me get this straight. There are now three of you tomato bastards running around." I questioned.

"That is correct." España responded before reprimanding me on my language. "I think so." Antonio muttered, "I haven't seen any others, but it's possible! How fun would that be Lovi!" I glared at him while assuring him that 'no, dammit, that would not be fun, you bastard.' "Come on, España, I just want to talk to my little Roma. He's grown up to be a real belleza. Please give him to me!" Spain continued to beg, still ignoring the current situation.

"There are three of you. Great as if one tomato bastard wasn't enough." I mumbled. "Alright, well that's all I wanted to know." I then fainted-I mean passed out - really manly like, and, yeah. (Oh shut the fuck up! You'd have done the same thing in my situation…assholes.)


	3. Ch 2: Call me Antonio

**A/N:**

**The separate personifications are based entirely on the insanity that forms in my head. That being said, they're going to seem OOC concerning the actual series, then again, this is fanfiction, that's the entire point.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form, ****Hidekaz Himaruya does.**

**Warning: Explicit language and BL (BoyXBoy).**

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><p>"What the hell happened?" I grumbled, trying to sit up. This proved to be a difficult task since the room was spinning more than a little. I managed it, however. The last thing I remembered was Spain…and there were three of him.<p>

Either the tomato's bastard's stupidity really is contagious and I've lost my mind, or it was all just a dream…probably the last one. It's not like I'm around Spain enough for his stupidity to have any sort of influence on me. (Shut the Hell up, I totally wasn't!)

"Lovi~! You're awake!" Speaking of the bastard. Spain crushed me into a hug before I had even fully opened my eyes, his momentum knocking me back onto the bed with him landing on top.

"Get off of me, you pervert!" I shrieked, struggling vainly underneath the Spanish bastard. In my colony days I believed Spain had only ever been able to overpower me because he was bigger than I was (not that he wasn't still-but not by much! He's only a few maybe five or so inches taller than me, dammit!) but the truth is the bastard was just strong.

"But Lovi! You fainted; boss just wants to make sure you are alright!" He declared, still attempting to cuddle me despite the fact I was kicking and snarling. He was, of course, oblivious the whole time to how suggestive our position was.

"You're not my boss anymore!" This earned a disappointed whine from him. "I thought I told you already, get away from me, bastard! You're smothering me!"

He quickly pulled back, still leaning over top of me however, pinning me to my bed. "I'm sorry, Lovi! I didn't mean to hurt you, are you alright?" He hugged me again after searching me for injury and finding none.

"Dammit, Spain! What did I – "

"Call me, Antonio. Please, Lovi!" He looked down on me with pleading emerald eyes, and were I not immune to Spain's pouts I might have thought he looked cute like that – but I am immune, therefore he was not cute! He's never cute!

He's a bastard!

…

So there!

"What?" I hissed. "I'm not calling you that, bastard. Also, what'd I tell you about calling me Lovi?" I had finally managed to unpin one of my arms and was attempting to push him away.

"But, Lovi! We've known each other for centuries!" He was pouting now. "Why can't you call me by my human name? I call you Lovino don't I?"

"Spain!" I roared. "Let go of me! You're such a perverted bastard."

"Lovi! You're avoiding the question. Please, call me Antonio." I yanked my other hand free and pushed him off of me, earning a whimper.

"NO!" I tried to scramble off the bed and make a run for it but realized my efforts were futile when a hand snatched my ankle and pulled me back. "If I call you by your human name will you leave me alone!"

"Maaaybe." He all but sang, hugging me once again, his weight resting entirely on my back and pressing me into the mattress.

"Fine!" I turned to glare at him over my shoulder only to find him giving me an expectant look, much like a child on Christmas waiting to be given a present. "Let. Go. Of. Me. _Antonio_."

I should have known better than to give in to the bastard's demands. As soon as his name had left my lips he squealed like a school girl and hugged me even tighter.

"Oh! Mi Tomate! You're so cute!"

"Am not, dammit!" I screamed, struggling again. "You said you'd let me go, now let go, Spain!" I felt him shake his head against my back.

"I said maybe, besides, you didn't say please." The pout, even though I couldn't see it was obvious in his voice. "You also didn't use my name!" His arms tightened around my waist and he nestled his face into my back.

I sighed in defeat. There was no way I was going to escape from this hug of doom until either I gave in to Ant-Spain's demands or if he got bored (or distracted by something shiny).

"Listen here, Spa – "

"I'm not sure what's going on here, but I want to be a part of it." A voice purred not too far from the bed I was being pressed into. Usually I would think such a perverted comment would have come from the fuckface that Antonio calls a friend, but I knew that bastard's creepy voice and that sure as Hell wasn't him.

Much like early my entire body froze up as I slowly looked up into emerald eyes, identical to the ones the idiot hugging me right now possessed.

"H-how! It was all a dream – you can't be real – this isn't happening – What did you do?" I snarled turning on the bastard currently nuzzling into my back. I'm not sure what actually caused this but you can be sure as hell I'd find a way to blame him for it.

"Nothing, Lovi!" He mumbled. "I already told you I woke up and they were here…"He trailed off and my suspicions that he'd fallen asleep were confirmed when he pretty much slumped completely against me and started to snore.

"Bastard." I muttered softly (What! If I woke him he'd only start saying stupid shit! It wasn't because I cared for that moron, cause I don't).

"Yeah, not that this isn't touching, but I think you and I have yet to have that _conversation_ I've been wanting to have with you, Roma." Spain hummed, looking at me from underneath his eyelashes, his eyes half lidded. Once again, if I didn't know any better and _know_ that Spain would never pull any shit like that with me (because he raised me dammit, and there's no way he could ever feel that way towards me!) I would swear he was giving me bedroom eyes (not that I've ever really had any real experience in that – Wait! Why the Hell am I telling you this?).

"Well, as you can see, Spain, I'm currently trapped so you're going to have to talk to me from way over there." I waved vaguely out into the hallway.

He pouted for a few seconds before he seemed to get an idea (I know, sure sign of the Apocalypse). "I don't think so, mi querido." He sauntered fully into the room and over to the bed I was still being pinned to. He then snatched my upper arms and slowly but surely started to pull me out from under Antonio.

I wanted to struggle but I knew if I did I'd wake Antonio (No, I don't care about Antonio, it's just – just – dammit – I don't have to justify myself to you!) he was already complaining in his sleep about his pillow moving and attempting to wrap his arms more tightly around my waist.

Spain pulled me free and as soon as he did he spun me away from the bed and all but slammed me into the nearest wall, pinning me much like he had early. He smirked down at me as his hands came to rest on my hips, attempting to pull me flush against him (and I'll tell you now, that shit was not going down).

"Let go of me, Spain!" I snarled, struggling now that such actions wouldn't wake a sleepy Spaniard; albeit quietly.

"I don't think so, cariño." He growled lowly, pressing against me, preventing me from struggling anymore. "As I already said, I want to talk to my little Roma. I'm not a patient man, Romano, and I'm getting tired of waiting." He leaned impossibly closer, his lips brushing my ear. "Now tell me, Romanito, when did you grow up to be so beautiful, hmm?"

"Cut it out, Spain!" I whined. "Stop playing around!" He glared at this, but I myself was too angry to really notice. "Seriously, this isn't funny, stop joking!" I attempted to struggle once more, briefly wondering about the third Spain, the conquistador Spain, and where he was when I needed him to keep the pervert at bay.

Spain punched the wall by my ear, actually managing to create a hole in the plaster. (Shit! I forgot how strong the bastard was, especially during his pirating days.) Spain was glaring down at me with a fire that had never before been present when looking at me. It was the same fire he glared at eyebrow-bastard with whenever that damn Brit was purposefully saying something to irritate him.

"I am not 'playing' as you call it, Roma." He snarled before snatching up my wrists and pinning them, one handed, above my head. "Not yet, at least." He purred before using his free hand to grab my chin and force me to face him as an entirely different fire entered his eyes, one that had also never been directed at me (as far as I was aware).

"Now, listen here, querido. I'm sure that pansy-ass over the has been too much of a pussy to man up and take what's his, but I sure as Hell won't."

"Take what's his?" When what he was saying sunk in, that was when I really started to get pissed off. "I'm not his, I don't belong to anyone!" I yelled, regardless of whether or not it would wake Antonio, Hell if that lazy bastard woke up he might actually be useful in helping me escape from Spain. "I most certainly don't belong to you!"

"Not _yet_, mi corazón." That was when his smirk morphed into this twisted grin, his eyes growing darker, almost black. He pressed fully against me again and it was only then that the full implications hit me and I went into full panic mode (So what if I'm a little slow! I blame Antonio; the inability to "read the atmosphere", as Japan calls it, is obviously contagious).

I'm not sure what compelled me to do it, all I know was one second I was being pressed into the wall the next second I was shrieking at the top of my lungs for the only thing capable of saving me (and my vital regions).

"**España**!"

Not even seconds later the weight previously pinning me to the wall was gone, Spain was sprawled out on the floor, and I was being pulled into an embrace. España checked me over for injuries before turning on Spain.

"I thought I told you to stay away from Romano." Spain just glared up at the Conquistador. Antonio, useless bastard that he is, was of course still asleep. (Bastard could probably sleep through an earthquake.)

"Next time you lay a hand on my colony," (once again I thought it best not to correct him) ",regardless of whether we are the same country or not, I will disembowel you." I'd heard Antonio make threats before but they'd never been so graphically violent. "Do we have an understanding?" He snarled, advancing on his alternate self.

Spain didn't say anything for a while, just glared up defiantly at España. He finally nodded, pushing himself up onto his feet. "He's just as much my colony as he is yours, España." He groused under his breath before exiting the room, hastily I might add as España, who must have heard him, sent him a nasty glare.

España glared at his retreating back until he had vanished from sight. Once Spain had left España turned his attention back to me and for the second time that day thoroughly searched me for injury. Were it not for the fact I knew he was only concerned for my safety I would have been worried he was trying to molest me.

As soon as España had finished his examination that lazy-ass tomato bastard had decided to wake up. How did I know this? Well first thing the bastard did was start to mumble something about "Lovi this" or "Lovi that" and once he fully opened his eyes he began to search the room. I wasn't sure for what until his eyes landed on me and he practically bolted across the room, somehow managing to yank me out of España's hold and into one of his very own.

"Lovi! I just had the most wonderful dream about you and tomatoes and – "I quickly slapped my hand over his mouth; if there had been one thing I'd learn in all my years of living it's that Antonio's dreams were either pointless (he would ramble about the most obscure of shit) or they were perverted (he would then ramble about the most embarrassing of shit, almost France worthy…almost).

"I don't want to know." I growled, keeping my hand firmly clamped over his mouth, well, that is until he decided to start kissing my palms, then I violently yanked my hands away, no doubt cursing colorfully enough to shame a sailor.

"Dammit, Antonio – " I quickly covered my own mouth, realizing I had let his name slip (Not my fault! There were three of them, dammit, and there was no way I could keep them all separate without giving them different names!). To put it blatantly, his eyes lit up like that damn burger-bastard's Fourth of July. He then proceeded to hug me even tighter and nuzzle his face against mine all the while exclaiming how cute I am and how "happy you've made boss, Lovi!" Dammit, I could just kill myself for making that bastard so pleased.

And what was España doing? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Seems like Antonio just isn't enough of a threat to my personal safety (or vital regions) for the conquistador to pry him off me. I'm sure however had I complained about not being able to breathe he would have treated Antonio the same way he'd treated Spain just moments earlier.

"Let go of me, tomato bastard." I struggled, briefly wondering why he was still this strong if he had been divided into three. Instead of doing as I'd asked Antonio just gave me his signature dopey grin (damn thing is so bright I need a pair of sunglasses so as not to be blinded) and told me once again "Lovi~! Boss wants you to call him by his human name." Yeah like that would ever happen willingly (shut the hell up, earlier didn't count, I was distracted!).

"Come on, Lovi! I made breakfast. It's probably cold by now, but I can make you something else if you want!" He finally released me from his hug but before I could properly escape (not sure where I'd go since Spain was probably still lurking around somewhere lying in wait for poor defenseless Italians to walk by) Antonio grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and started to pull me out of the room, and assumedly, towards the kitchen. España followed us at his own pace, checking the corridors for wayward perverts.

**~Fu~so~so~so~so~so~so~Lovi~Fu~so~so~so~so~so~so~**

I headed to my old room, briefly wondering how the three tomato-bastards would decide sleeping arrangements before I remembered I didn't give a shit. Those bastards could do whatever the hell they wanted – as long as it didn't involve me!

I decided to lock my door for the night, just to be safe. Now, before you start getting the wrong ideas about why I would willingly stay at Antonio's house when I proclaim to hate him the answer is simple: without me those idiots would end up killing each other…err….killing himself? … Dammit you know what I mean!

Just because I was there so that they/he wouldn't die, doesn't mean I like that bastard or I'd be upset if he died! Cause I wouldn't.

No, there are three reasons as to why I was staying there for not only the night but the foreseeable future, until this mess is sorted out. Then I'm heading back to Italy faster than you can say England. Those reasons are as follows:

1.) Antonio's a dumbass and without me he might never figure out how to fix this problem.

2.) Spain shouldn't be left alone because he'll either find some other poor defenseless nation to prey on or that Pirate-bastard will end up finding those assholes he calls friends and they'll end up causing troubles like they did in the old days; which someone (I mean me) will have to fix.

3.) And most importantly, España wouldn't let me leave. Said I couldn't be where he couldn't protect me. Now before you start asking me "But, Lovino. What about this Italian badassery you're always bragging about? Can't you just stand up to España?" First off: Shut the Hell up what do you know? And secondly: Italian badassery (which I have in abundance by the way) doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell against borderline psychopathic Conquistadors.

Now that I've made that clear, you know that I do not, not under any circumstances nor in any way, enjoy spending time at Antonio's (unless we're picking tomatoes)! I most definitely do not stay overnight (or the entire week) and sleep in my old room for old time's sake (or to be close to the bastard, who I do not miss! Not ever!) if there's another option. So there!

…

You don't believe me?

Yeah! Well Fuck you to!

…

Anyways, I was just stepping into some sleep pants (I was not going to sleep naked with, not one but, two perverts in the house…I don't think I could count España since he seems to still think of me as if I were a kid) when someone knocked on the door. Usually I would have opened the door knowing it was Antonio no doubt wanting to know if I want to sleep in his bed like old times. I'd say no of course, excluding nights when there were thunderstorms (Not because I was scared! NO! Umm … because … because Antonio would be scared and I-not that I care about him or anything, but – umm…never mind. You won't believe me no matter what I say).

However, back on topic. I was wary about opening the door, because while it could be Antonio it could also be Spain. I highly doubted it was España. He had said something about patrolling the grounds before bed to see if France was lurking around, so he was probably still outside.

If it was Antonio he would probably just ask what he usually does and since there's no thunderstorm tonight I'd send him packing. If it was Spain though I don't really want to think about what he'd ask me – forget asking, bastard probably wouldn't ask anyways he'd just do whatever weird thing it is he wants to do to me.

I reluctantly headed towards the door, quickly pulling on a t-shirt, if it was Spain I didn't want that creep to get even more ideas. I suppose I was lucky that I always ended up leaving clothes here whenever I visit (not that anything happens you sickos, I'm just forgetful).

"Who is it?" I stuttered. If it was Spain I would not open the door and should he try to get anyway I'd open one of the windows and climb out before locating España.

"It's Antonio." I almost sighed with relief before remembering that the three tomato bastards sounded almost exactly alike, it could still be Spain.

"Prove it, bastard." Hell, even I wasn't sure how he was going to be able to prove he was who he said he was.

"How, Lovi?" He whined, pawing at the door. "Umm…I don't have long hair?" He asked sounding hopeful that that was the right answer. I felt it best not to tell the dumbass that I couldn't see that through the door. "Uh…Um..Lovi! My brain is starting to hurt. Please open the door."

I rolled my eyes. That was my dumbass alright. Oh, you know what I mean. No one but Antonio can act that stupid. Even in his pirating days he sounded smarter than he does now.

"Fine, fine. I'll open the door." I groused. "So help me though if you're that pirate bastard I will call España up here faster than you can say churros. You got it, bastard?"

"Si, Lovi." He muttered meekly from the other side of the door. Even further proof. In his pirating days Spain was a cocky asshole who wouldn't know how to act meek if his life depended on it.

I slowly opened to door, peeking out to see if it really was Antonio. As he had said he didn't have long hair like that Pirate bastard did. No, just his regular bouncy chocolate colored curls…damn if that didn't sound gay.

"Can I come inside, Lovi?" He asked, trying to step in anyways regardless of whether I gave him my permission or not.

"No!" I growled, trying to push him back. He's just so damn strong though that as I tried to push him back he just kept walking and even though I braced my feet I was still slid back into my room. Antonio shut the door behind him.

"What do you want, tomato-bastard?" I snarled crossing my arms. He just grinned down at me as I glared up at him. I had little doubt he was going to start spouting out some kind of shit about how cute I was.

"I just wanted to know if I could sleep here tonight, Lovi." He asked petting my hair, skillfully avoiding my curl although Lord knows he wanted to pull it.

"Why can't you just sleep in your room, bastard?" I grumbled trying to swat him hands away from my hair.

"Well Pirate me took it and kicked me out of the room and Conquistador me took the couch. He said something about making sure Turkey couldn't sneak in through the front door, although I'm not sure why. Turkey already knows to stay far away from here, made sure of that myself." He grinned proudly. "Anyways, there's nowhere else for me to sleep so can I stay here?"

"You live in a fucking mansion with a billion guest rooms so don't give me that shit about not having any other room to sleep in."

"Well yeah. But no one ever stays here but you, Lovi, so none of the beds have sheets and most of the rooms haven't been cleaned since I had colonies. Plus I don't want to stay in those rooms. They're so lonely." He muttered the last bit to himself and for once I saw past Antonio's cheerful demeanor.

I should have told him to piss off but there was just something so unnatural about see a sad Antonio that I couldn't do it. I mean it's not that I care or anything (Yes, you and I both know that's complete bullshit by now) but still he did raise me, and he's always been there to protect me. Also, he was the first one to ever prefer me over Feliciano…

"Alright, you can stay." I mumbled, bowing my head to hide my blush. He would undoubtedly pull me into a hug after this.

He surprised me by instead pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead. "Gracias, Lovi." He murmured against my forehead.

"Don't mention it." I stuttered, backing away quickly and crawling into bed. He just stood there awkwardly, smiling at me from where he stood. "Well are you going to lie down or not, bastard?" I growled.

"Oh, right!" He pulled his shirt off over his head before sliding under the covers. "Thanks again, Lovi." He grinned. "I hope you don't mind to terribly. I didn't want to bother you."

"It's find, An-bastard. Just don't expect this to happen again." I prayed he hadn't caught my near slip and rolled away to face the wall.

"You almost called me Antonio." He cooed, slipping an arm around me and pulling me into a hug. Which was awkward as Hell because now that tomato bastard was spooning me.

Of course that usually oblivious bastard would have noticed the slip. "Did not! Now shut up, let me go, and go to sleep." I hissed, struggling vainly to get out of his arms.

"Do I have to do that in that order?" He asked, curling up against me. His breath tickled the back of my neck as he yawned. "Can't I just let go after I wake up tomorrow?"

I was going to tell him no, honest, but that asshat was already asleep by the time I had prepared a snarky reply.

I sighed in defeat. "Goodnight, bast – " He was asleep, what could it hurt? "Goodnight…Antonio." Whether he was awake or not, I don't know, but he drew me closer until his cheek was nestled against my hair and he mumbled a soft "Night, Lovi."

…

What a bastard.


	4. Ch 3: France Never Learns

**A/N: **

**As I've said before a lot of this is written from my own head cannon. Haven't seen Hetalia in forever. Thanks to all of you who left a review, I greatly appreciate it. I'd name you all individually, but much like Antonio, I'm too lazy. Please continue to leave reviews, they give me encouragement to continue this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form, Hidekaz Himaruya does.**

* * *

><p>Light streamed through the windows, straight into my eyes rousing me even further into waking. I tried to roll over away from the sun, but <em>someone <em>was currently trapping me in my current spot.

Now normally I would bitch at Antonio for not shutting his curtains before he went to sleep (shut up we don't end up in the same bed as often as you'd like to think) and kick him off the bed until he shut the currents.

Today, however, I couldn't really complain about it because: a.) This was my room so technically it was my responsibility to shut the damn curtains and b.) The light and the damn birds chirping wasn't what woke me up at such an ungodly hour.

No, that would be Antonio's doorbell; which by the sound of it wasn't going to last much longer if the dumbass on the other side of the door didn't quit beating on it. It was much too early to be up; no one should be up this early. Proof of this was the Spaniard who still had me ensnared in his arms.

I knew that eventually I'd have to deal with the outside world, but I hadn't known it would be so soon. What damn nation could it possibly be? And how was I going to explain this? I glared back at the tomato bastard who was snuggling into my back.

Okay, so if I were to think logically…shit. We're all screwed.

No, no, wait. Okay, so, I know that it wasn't for me since Feliciano probably didn't know I was here – Who the hell am I kidding? Feli always seems to know where I am. However, he never showed up whenever I was at Spain's (unless something "traumatizing" had happened, like the potato bastard trying to make pasta). So that ruled out him. The only other person I had any sort of association with was…Antonio. (Damn if that's not pathetic).

But I was in Spain right now (not like that you damn perverts) and since Antonio wasn't like me, the bastard pretty much shit rainbows and puked sunshine, people seemed to like him and it was reasonable that someone was visiting the living ball of sunshine.

The ones at the top of the list of who might visit Antonio being the rest of the BTT or the FAGs (Francis. Antonio. Gilbert) as I like to call them. So there was a high chance it was either potato bastard number two or the fuckface.

However, there was also the possibility of Belgium who would visit Antonio from time to time; but only, it seemed, whenever I was over…odd. With Belgium was usually her brother the Netherlands (god he's such a dick). I had no idea how I would lie to either of the two since I grew up around Belgium and she, much like Antonio, could tell when I was lying.

There was also, God I don't even want to think about her, Hungary. She would show up, make lewd comment about us, no doubt wondering what I was doing at Antonio's house so early in the morning. Afterwards she would leave a trail of bloody tissues as she muttered to herself about yaoi and tsundere or whatever the Hell it is she calls me. Please, let it not be Hungary. I had little doubt Spain would all too willingly give into her pervy demands and pound me into the nearest flat surface.

There were a few other nations since Antonio was such a friendly guy, but I could easily threaten them away. For some reasons other nations just don't want to be around me, must be my winning personality.

The only ones I had to worry about were Spain's siblings, like Portugal, who would show up every once in a while to tell Spain what a complete asshole he was back in the day. Since both his Pirate and Conquistador self were present I didn't think it was a good idea to let an interactions between the siblings happen. Otherwise all Hell would break loose and we might be looking at another Spanish Empire.

The one nation I didn't have to worry about was England. Hell, eyebrow bastard was probably responsible for all this. The more I think about it, the more likely it seems.

If I wasn't so scared of him – his cooking I would invite him over just to kick his ass for all the trouble he's put Ant–**me **through. I'll have to hunt him down eventually and demand he fix this.

There was one problem with England showing up. That problem being that Spain would instantly start to attack him for what he did to his Armada. Now I'm not sure how important England is to the economy but I'm pretty sure it'd still be a really bad thing were Spain to kill him.

Dammit to Hell! The damn doorbell wouldn't stop ringing and the person hadn't gotten the hint to go away. If I didn't answer the door soon either Spain or España would and there was no way I was letting that happen. So I did the only thing I could.

I struggled to free myself. I had almost made it off the bed when Antonio yanked me back down into the bed and against his chest. "Dammit, A-Spain! Let me go. I have to go answer your fucking door!"

"But, Lovi!" He whined, nuzzling his cheek against mine. "If we ignore them they'll go away eventually; besides, it's too early. I just want to go back to sleep and curl up with my cute little tomate."

"Get off me, Spain! I need to answer the door before one of your dumbass doppelgangers do!" I kicked his shins before rolling off the bed (like a complete badass; didn't stumble once). I then darted into the hallway and down the stairs.

God, it takes forever to get from my bedroom to the door. I just hoped whoever the hell it was didn't bust down the damn door before I got there. I shot past Spain on the way to the door. I'm sure he was trying to purr something seductive at me but in my hast the get to the door I snarled a quick "I don't have time" and left him behind, leaning on the door frame to Antonio's room.

"Shut the Hell up! I'm almost there you impatient bastards!" I was almost to the door and I could hear not one, but two people on the other side of the door. Oh, god; anyone but those two.

I reluctantly opened to door. Fortunately there was just one nation, he was on the phone. Unfortunately it was France, the worst of the BTT, and the one person I really didn't want to see this early in the morning (well, at least it wasn't Hungary). He quickly hung up on, who I'm assuming was, the potato bastard number two in order to shoot me a wink.

"Ah, mon petit. What are you doing at Antoine's house, hmm?" He waggled his eyebrows in what I think was supposed to be a suggestive manner but made me want to slam the door in his face (then again, most things make me want to slam a door in France's face).

"As lovely as it is to see you, Romano," His eyes raked down over my body as if mentally undressing me, bastard probably was. ", I have to ask you were Antoine is. I also see I have to congratulate him for finally getting a feisty piece of Italian like you in his bed."

"It's not like that!" I hissed, flattening down my bed head, which I supposed could arguable be confused for sex hair. "I just woke up, dammit."

"Honhonhon"

"Shut the fuck up! I just told you it's not like that! Besides, Spain isn't even here right now, dammit!"

"What?" I should have been worried about the way France's eyes lit up, but I was too concerned about getting him to leave. I tried shutting the door on him, but he had his foot firmly in the way. He stepped fully into the house. "Antoine isn't here right now?'

"That's what I just fucking said, isn't it?" I hissed, backing away from him. Why did I suddenly fear for my vital regions?

"Well, since mon ami Antoine has not made a move for you I suppose someone has to." Wait, what! "Toni may be one of my best friends, but there's no way I'm letting a treasure like you slip away. After all, it's not like he has some sort of claim on you." He backed me up, walking further and further into the house.

"I've stayed away out of respect for Antoine, hoping he'd finally wise up, but I see that's never going to happen." With that he pinned me against the wall. Dammit, I'm getting sick of being pinned like this! "So I'm just going to have to claim you for myself."

"NO!" I kicked and flailed and did just about everything I could to get away from the pervert who was trying to press kisses to my neck. "France let go of me! Antonio is going to kill you when he finds out!"

"Ah, but Antoine isn't here right now and as I've already said, he's never going to claim you for his own and I'm sick of avoiding you just on the off chance Toni will go psychotic in his jealousy." He tried to force a knee between my legs.

"France, I mean it let me go!" I whimpered (you would too if you had a French pervert molesting you against a wall). "I swear if you don't let go, I'll – ."

"France. Get your hands off my henchman. _Now_." France and I simultaneously looked to see España standing in the hallway, war axe gleaming proudly from over his shoulder. "Friend or no. I. Will. Kill. You."

I thanked the heavens above that yesterday at dinner I had managed to convince him and Spain to wear more modern clothes; I really didn't feel like explaining to France why Antonio was wearing his old Conquistador armor. I suppose it was a good thing Spain hadn't come to investigate the noise. That bastard had refused to cut his hair and there would be no way I'd be able to explain that (I'd even sunk so low as batting my damn eyelashes at him and though his eyes had glazed over and he looked seconds away from pouncing on me, he'd still refused to cut his hair).

France suddenly dropped me to the floor. No sooner had I landed did España all but pick me up and pull me into an embrace; checking me over for injury. "What did you think you were doing, France?" España growled lowly.

"Romano and I were just playing around. Isn't that right Romano? I would never do anything like that with Romano after all I know he's your –."

"He tried to rape me." I snarled. España's eyes narrowed into daggers. He pushed me behind him as he hefted his war axe and embedded it in the wall were France's head had been moments prior. The cowardly nation had instead opted to hide behind the front door (a wise decision).

"France, do you remember what I told you when it comes to my Romano? Because I'm pretty sure I've told you over and over again."

"You told me never to touch him! And I swear Antoine I wasn't – I would never! I know that Romano is yours. He – uh – he – umm – the thing is – It's all a big misunderstanding. Oui? I wouldn't dare to try anything with –." He paused, giving España a weird look.

"Wait…" Oh shit. "Did you just call him…_Romano_?" Dammit to Hell. "You never call him Romano…is something wrong, Antoine?" Fuck!

I was hoping he wouldn't notice, son of a bitch. Antonio hasn't called me Romano since I was his colony, and as his best friend France would know that.

France stepped out from behind the door (a stupid move in my expert opinion on dealing with psycho axe-wielders). España made a move to free his axe from the wall. "Romano, what's going on?" Dammit! How was I going to explain this?

"Umm…well you see. Uh Spain hit his head, I'm not sure how, he's such a dumbass, and now he thinks he's – uh – he thinks he's a conquistador again." That had to be one of my worst lies ever. España was giving me a disapproving look, the same kind of look he would give me back when I was a colony and he had caught me in a lie.

France was quiet for the longest time and I was sure I was found out, but the fuckface just gave España a once over. "He _is_ acting like he did back then." France muttered thoughtfully. "How long has he been like this?"

I just shrugged. "He was like this when I showed up." I twitched nervously, trying to step out from behind España. Obviously that was not permitted and España pulled me back into a protective hold.

"That doesn't not explain why you are here though, mon petit." España growled at the nickname, sending France back behind the door.

"He still thinks I'm his colony." I grumbled. "Bastard won't let me leave." I ignored España as he scolded me for my language. "I'm sure he'll remember soon enough and be back to his normal obnoxiously happy self, but I'm stuck here until then."

"If you want, Romano, I can come help dear Antoine remember." Great, just what I needed. Three perverts in the house.

"Yeah, no thanks. Besides, I can't trust you to keep your hands to yourself and Spain will kill you if you don't."

"Aww. You care for my safety, Romano!"

"Hell no! I just don't want to have to clean up the blood. Now get out of here! I'll send the tomato bastard to see you and that albino potato you call a friend after he's back to normal. Don't you dare tell anyone though! It's bad enough I have to deal with Spain, I don't need to deal with more dumbass nations!"

"But, Romano. I can _help_." France purred. He really is a dumbass. España seemed to think so to since he ripped his axe from the wall and started to swing it towards him. "Right, well I'll just leave you two alone! Au revoir!" With that France ran for his life, right out of the house slamming the door behind him.

España glared at the door as if expecting France to come back through it and try and steal my vir – um…my…never mind.

I looked between him and the hole in the wall. "There is no way in Hell that I am fixing that." I quickly left the room and headed towards the kitchen. If I was going to be up this early I might as well get breakfast out of it.

When I entered to kitchen I wasn't surprised to find Antonio already there at the stove, making what looked to be an omelet stuffed with tomatoes. I was however surprised to find Spain sitting docilely on the counter watching. All the same, even though Spain didn't look like he was going to jump up and molest me I was still a little uneasy after what happened with France so I gave the pirate a wide berth. Even so, I never knew it was possible to be so thoroughly violated just by sight alone; I'm actually surprised I don't have a limp right now. I'm more surprised that with that amount of concentration Spain hadn't actually managed to strip me with his mind alone.

"Who was at the door, Lovi?" Antonio asked as I stood close to him - not because I wanted to! I just hoped that would deter Spain from attempting to actually molest me (I could still feel his heated gaze on my ass though).

"Just France. That fuckface tried to rape me. As usual." I grumbled, shifting closer to Antonio. Spain snarled and Antonio stiffened beside me.

Antonio's eyes darkened with anger, but unlike usual he was missing that psychotic gleam. "I've told him countless time to stay away from my precious tomate." He rumbled.

Just as quickly the anger was gone and he gave me a happy grin. "Well your omelet is done, Lovi." He scooped said omelet out of the pan, onto a plate, and handed it to me. He pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek as I turned to sit at the table.

The bastard went back to cooking, completely ignoring my angry sputtering and the way my face was rapidly changing to resemble a tomato. Before I had a chance to curse or yell at him however Spain started whining

"Hey! How come he's allowed to kiss you and I'm not!" He actually stuck his lower lips out and pouted. It should have looked ridiculous on a grown man, but Spain even back when he was just one person, had always managed to effectively use those damn puppy eyes.

"Because you're a pervert!" I snarled at him, trying to wipe off the kiss with the back of my hand. "Besides, I did not let him kiss me! Tomato-bastard always does things like this." I slammed my plate down on the table.

I didn't hear Spain until he captured my chin in between his thumb and forefinger and forced me to face him. Should have known he'd try to steal a kiss anyways, he's a damn pirate after all. I scrunched my eyes up; knowing what would happen next was unavoidable.

I flinched when a soft pair of lips pressed against my cheek, the one Antonio hadn't kissed. He lingered a little longer than Antonio had, but I can't really complain since I honestly thought he was going to try and capture my lips instead (Also, he only groped me once, which was an improvement for the pirate).

Spain pulled away, ran his fingers through my hair, and gave me a soft grin before he sauntered out of the room; a smug bounce in his step (don't ask me how steps can be smug. If anyone can do it that pirate bastard can).

I shrugged the weird incident off and sat down to eat my omelet. Antonio joined me when he was done cooking his own.

One moment I think I understand these bastards and the next they do something completely unexpected. How am I going to survive?


	5. Ch 4: Tomato Harvesting

**A/N: **

**I absolutely love all of your reviews. I'd be rooting for the Pirate as well if I didn't love all three of them equally (That's a lie, I kind of like Spain more).**

**Thank you all so much to those of you who favorited and subscribed to this story I'd name you all but I'm afraid I've already lost track of most of you and for that I apologize.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form, Hidekaz Himaruya does.**

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><p>As I've said before, I just really hate to admit it, but that bastard knows his way around the kitchen. I was still leaning back in contentment at the table when Antonio asked me if I wanted to help him out back with tomato garden.<p>

Now usually I automatically tell Antonio 'Hell no!' whenever he asks for help, but I enjoy working with tomatoes almost as much as he does. So I'd mumbled an agreement as if I was put out by the idea. All the same I had changed into work clothes, located a pair of gloves, and was in the backyard, ready before Antonio even showed up.

The tomato bastard as usual was slow and I was left to wait shifting from foot to foot as he gathered up baskets and attempted to find his own gloves and his hat. I was about to go in and find the baskets for him when he came onto the porch and dropped a hat onto my head.

I reluctantly grumbled a quiet thanks and set the hat more firmly on my head. I snatched one of the baskets from him and headed into the fields. I've always loved these tomato fields, even during my colony days; working in these fields was just about the only thing I was good for since I was too clumsy to clean. It was also the only thing I would willingly help the tomato bastard with. It was part of the main reason why I would ever force myself to visit the tomato bastard.

The fields were huge and I'm sure were it not for the fact his freaking mansion was just as big you would have been able to see them from the front of the house. They stretched almost to the horizon (okay, maybe I was exaggerating but they were still pretty impressive) and even though that seemed like a lot of work, I didn't mind.

It was still early morning, thanks to that damn fuckface, so the sun was still low and the sky was an pinkish-blue. My mouth actually watered at the sight of all those tomatoes that were shiny with morning dew.

I could hear Antonio chuckle behind me, but I ignored him in favor of drooling over the red fruits just waiting to be picked. That bastard pinched one of my cheeks (the ones on my face, you perverts) as he passed me, interrupting me from my staring.

"Aww, mi Lovinito is so cute." He cooed. God how I wanted to punch him in the face. "If you want you can eat one of them now, Lovi." He stepped into the field, crouched down and picked one of the tomatoes off the vine before presenting it to me. "Here, Lovi, you can have the first one. Well, not the very first one. I was picking some of them yesterday and I did eat some. I cooked dinner with some of them last night. Oh, I also used them in the omelet this morning. But, you get the first one I picked today!" He continued to offer the tomato to me as he rambled until I finally took it and told him to 'shut the Hell up, bastard. I get it'.

I bit into the soft skin and tried not to moan as the tangy flavor assaulted my taste buds. God, it was _so_ good. I'm not sure how he does it, but Antonio grows some of the best tomatoes I've ever had. Even my garden back in Italy doesn't yield tomatoes as delicious as these. I always take the opportunity to mooch tomatoes off Antonio, even if it means burying my pride and letting him call me cute without (much) retaliation.

I could feel some of the tomato juice escape and roll down my chin. Before I could catch it Antonio swiped his thumb under my lips and gathered it himself. I was sure I turned all sorts of shades of red when he popped his thumb briefly in his mouth to lick off the tomato juice.

"Eww! Bastard, that could have been in my mouth!" I yelled, wanting to shove him, but not wanting to waste what was left of my tomato.

"What's the matter, Lovi? I've eaten after you before." He cocked his head to the side in that ador–_annoying_ way he does when he's confused.

"Have not!" I spluttered in quick denial. His answering smile pissed me off. "Like I would ever let an obnoxious tomato bastard like you eat after – "

I cut off with a startled yelp as he snatched up my wrist and pulled the tomato, _my_ tomato, to his mouth and took a bite out of it. I think my brain clocked out for a few moments as I starred at the bite missing from my tomato, my wrist still clamped firmly in Antonio's work calloused hand. My eyes slowly drifted up to stare at Antonio, who was happily chewing his stolen bite of tomato completely ignoring my state of shock.

"What the Hell, Antonio!" I shrieked, trying to pry my wrist free. He nearly choked on the remains of the tomato. "Did you seriously just steal part of my tomato? You've got a whole field full of them; get one for yoursel – why are you grinning at me? What! No, back off, you bastard!"

He used his grip on my wrist to yank me into a hug, almost pulling me off my feet (my toes barely brushed the ground). I'm sure I would be mad at him for hugging me so randomly, but I was too busy being furious for him making me drop what was left of my tomato.

"Hey, asshat! You made me drop my tomato." He ignored me in favor of nuzzling the top of my head. "Are you even listening to me? Let go!"  
>"You said my name again, Lovi~!" He squealed (God, could he act anymore like a teenage girl). Dammit to Hell! I hadn't even noticed. Why did I ever call him by his name in the first place? "Aww, Lovi~, you're so cute."<p>

"Don't you use those damn squiggles on me, bastard!" I pushed against him, tempted to just call España and tell him Antonio was molesting me (Dammit, I really need to stop thinking of him by his human name). It was doubtable España would believe me though; he knew Anton-the tomato bastard, wouldn't do anything inappropriate to me (at least not intentionally).

"You brought me out here to help you pick tomatoes, not to suffocate me! Now, get off of me!" Antonio gave me another squeeze before slowly letting me back onto my own two feet.

"Finally. Now let's go pick those tomatoes." I grumbled, quickly stalking off into the field, making sure that when he followed I moved to the other side of the field. This of course resulted in a pout from Anto-Tomato Bastard (Son of a Bitch, when did he become Antonio and not the tomato bastard?) .

"Hey, Lovi?" I looked up at him and though he was smiling (as usual) it was a sad thing and his lower lip stuck out just slightly.

I sighed exasperatedly "What, bastard?" I growled, as I looked back to the tomatoes I was picking just so I wouldn't have to see that depressing smile.

"Do you really…hate me?" I nearly dropped the basket I'd been using to carrying the harvested tomatoes. I quickly looked back up at him. His forced smile was gone replaced by an anxious frown, biting on his lower lip. His eyes were what got me though. I didn't even know that cheerful Spaniard could look so angsty. Dammit, why could he get me to do just about anything if he looked depressed enough?

I groaned, setting down the basket, and straightening up. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to think of what to say to him. "Look, I don't…I don't _hate_ you, bast- " I sighed. "I don't hate you, Antonio. So stop looking so sad. It's pissing me off."

His face instantly lit up. "Good! I wouldn't want my little tomate to hate me," He looked as if he was about to dart across the field to hug me (again), but I quickly warned him about the damage he could cause the tomatoes (Antonio was always, as he said, 'protective of the innocent tomatoes'; I'm not sure why he always winked at me while he said it…bastard). ", especially since I love my little tomato so much."

Forget protecting the tomatoes. I picked the top one out of the basket and threw it at him. Of course, since he's used to me and my temper, he dodged out of way before impact. "Bastard! Don't just say things like that." I could feel my face heat up and I was no doubt the same color as the tomatoes in my basket. I know he didn't mean anything by it; Antonio loves just about everyone (excluding England, Turkey, and sometimes Netherlands). Still, that bastard needed to learn he can't just spout out shit like that.

"Aww, but it's true, Lovi~! Come give boss a hug." He held his arms out towards me. Yeah, bastard, you know me better than that, that's never going to happen voluntarily.

"Fuck no!" I snarled, backing away from him, careful not to step on the tomato plants behind me. "Look, we came out here to pick tomatoes, so stop molesting me, and get back to work."

I expected him to pout, Hell, I kind of wanted him to be upset (just a little though). I did not however expect the bright smile. "Sure thing, Lovi!" He then turned away from me, and went back to his damn plants.

What?

It's that easy?

Why in the Hell did that bastard obey so quickly? He never does what I tell him to do. He's a stubborn bastard no matter how nice he is –

Oh…

Spain is the stubborn one. I suppose with him no longer being a part of Antonio, the tomato bastard _would_ act differently.

I glared at said tomato bastard for a few seconds. Dammit, now I felt like he was ignoring me. Wait…wasn't that a good thing? If he ignored me, he wouldn't hug me anymore.

Finally! This was the best day of my life. Now if only I could get Spain to stop trying to conquer my vital regions.

**~ke~se~se~se~se~Gilbird~ke~se~se~se~se~**

"Lovi?" I grumbled in acknowledgment. "What _did_ happen this morning with Francis?" I heard a snarl from the porch at the question and wasn't too surprised to see España leaning against one of the guardrails keeping a close eye on me and the tomato garden. I didn't see Spain but he was probably off doing whatever it is perverts do when an angry halberd-wielding Conquistador is keeping them from their prey.

"Well…umm. I told him you weren't here so he'd go away, but as soon as he heard I was here alone that fuckface tried to take advantage of me. He pinned me to the wall started talking crazy shit about how you hadn't 'claimed' me and since you weren't going to make a move someone had to; whatever the Hell that means. It wasn't long after when España walked in and threatened to kill him with that old war axe of yours." I muttered.

Antonio, much like when he'd first heard of the incident looked pissed, though not the 'find-war-axe-hunt-down-France-maim-and/or-horribly-injure-him' kind of psychotic rage that I was used to. I suppose that also had to do with the whole being split into three people.

All the talk about France must have made España more cautious than usual, because he slung Antonio's war axe (previously leaning next to him on the guardrail) over his shoulder and went off to 'search the perimeter'.

España distracted me just long enough for Antonio to sneak up behind me and wind me into a warm hug, burying his forehead into my hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Lovi." He whispered, arms wrapping more tightly around my shoulders as he nuzzled the back of my head. "At least España was there. I would hate to think what would happen, what I would do, if someone hurt my Lovi."

A shudder ran up my spine as he placed a gentle kiss on the back of my neck. Dammit, Antonio, do you even realize what this must look like? I know you don't mean it that way. You're too damn oblivious to mean it that way, but still.

The soft admission of worry had me feeling too guilty to just shove him away like I usually did when he initiated these embraces. So instead I just patted his arm awkwardly. "I'm fine, bastard. Don't get so emotional. Come on, we still have a fourth of the field left to pick through and I'd like to get this done before I miss my siesta."

He let go to ruffle my hair and plant a kiss on my cheek. Seriously, Antonio! I was going to have to stop this. "Alright, let's hurry then, Lovi~!"

I nodded determinedly and resumed picking the tomatoes, slowly but surely making our way through the field; placing filled baskets on the porch before retrieving new ones. I had just finished up the last row and was bending over to pick one I had missed when someone grabbed a handful of my ass. France had done this before, many times actually, each time resulting in major injuries and expensive hospital bills (thank you, Antonio), but I'd been groped enough by him to know that this wasn't that wine loving bastard.

I quickly jumped away from the still groping hand and stood up straight and wheeled around to glare at them. I whipped the hat of my head and used it to cover my ass just to be safe.

"What the fuck, Spain!" I tried to sound intimidating but I'm sure I sounded surprised still. I had squeaked after he'd groped me. Fucking squeaked! Son of a bitch, how unmanly is that!

"I'm sorry, Roma. No wait. I'm not sorry. You have such a perky little ass, mi cariño. How could I resist?" He hooked his fingers through my belt-loops and pulled me close again, no doubt trying to get in another squeeze, but I held that damn sun hat firmly in place over my ass.

When the groping didn't go as he planned he decided to improvise and used his hold on my belt-loops to press his hips against mine. I really need to invest in a rape whistle.

Wait, España was around here somewhere. All I had to do was call out to him and Spain would leave me the fuck alone. "Spain, I swear I'm going to call España to beat your pirate ass if you don't leave me alone."

Spain glared and looked as if he was going to let go when a smirk spread across his lips. Oh God, what was he up to? I didn't trust the mischievous smirk.

He slapped a hand over my mouth and as I was trying to pull his hand away (dropping my hat) he slid the other hand around to rest just above my ass. "Roma," I glared at his soft tone ", mi querido." He pressed his forehead to mine. "Did France hurt you this morning?"

I had just been about ready to drive my knee up into his crotch when what he was asking registered. I must have been giving him a wide eyed look of confusion.

"If he did, I swear I will go hunt him down for you." The hand I had been worried about groping my ass slid up to rest on my upper back. The hand covering my mouth moved to stroke the side of my face before sliding down to join in on this fucked up embrace.

I probably should have yelled for España now that my mouth wasn't covered, but I was too busy starring at Spain like he'd grown a second head. He was acting more like Antonio than the pervert I thought Spain was. On the other hand, he looked more serious than Antonio did or ever could be. Excluding all the groping this would have been the way Antonio would react (threats and all) before he was divided into three.

"I-I'm fine, Spain." He smirked down at me again, though the smirk was softer, less smug than all his previous smirks. "Now, if you could, please, get your fucking hands off of me." I started to jerk around no doubt ruining whatever gentler mood Spain had been in.

Spain grumbled under his breath before letting out an exasperate sigh. "I'm _trying_ to be nice, Roma. I thought you would like me better if I was less of a 'bastard' as you so call me." He all but dropped me out of his arms (I almost tripped over the basket still at me feet). He then stormed out of the field and into the house, snarling violently to himself, slipping into Spanish rants every once in a while.

"Antonio, did you see that? Why the Hell didn't you, help…me…" I twisted around trying to find the tomato bastard only to find I was the only one in the fields. "Where the Hell did he go?"

"Hey, Lovi~!" I jerked around my back popping at the swiftness of the turn, to see Antonio waving at me like the dumbass he is from the porch. "I made lunch, come inside." Dammit, he must have left sometime before Spain showed up. How had I not noticed? More importantly why hadn't he told me where he was going?

"Alright, give me a minute, bastard." I scooped up the last of my baskets and set the overflowing basket next to all the others on the porch for Antonio to deal with later. I then headed inside. Antonio already had lunch set up at the table (set for four) and was sitting opposite my chair, waiting patiently for me to sit down before he started eating. I slipped the work gloves off my hands and washed up as well as I could in the sink before joining him at the table. España joined us a couple minutes later. Spain never showed up, however. Asshole was probably sulking in Antonio's room. Oh well, he'd show up sooner or later to molest me again.


	6. Ch 5: Conquistador Cuddles

**A/N: **

**Thank you guys for reviewing. Once again, a lot of you seem to prefer Spain. Hopefully this chapter will encourage you too like the others too (even if Spain is still currently my favorite).**

**I have a basic outline for how this story is going to go, but I'm more than willing to take suggestions on what you readers may want to see as we go along on that plot.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form, Hidekaz Himaruya does. If I did own Hetalia, Spamano would be cannon…well, more than it already is.**

* * *

><p>Shit! My cell phone!<p>

I leapt off the couch, disregarding Antonio's whine to "come back, I thought you liked this show", as I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time (would have been three but my damn legs are too short). I had to get to my phone before one of the damn tomato bastards did. I doubt that either Spain or España will actually know what a cell phone is much less how to answer one, but I'd rather not take the risk.

I skidded to a halt, sliding into my bedroom, nearly tripping over the rug, in my mad dash towards the nightstand. As usual I banged my knee into the fucking bed frame. I snatched up the phone, surprised I didn't break it with just how hard I grabbed it.

"What the Fuck do you want!" I snarled into the phone. I probably should have looked to see who it was before answering the phone like that. Shit, I should have known who it would be since the only ones who actually care enough (or are forced to) call me are Antonio (who is currently downstairs), Antonio's bastard friends (who only call when all _three_ of them are drunk off their asses; as I said Antonio is downstairs), my boss (who only calls on week days; it's Saturday), and my dumbass of a brother.

I cringed as said dumbass on the other end of the line started crying. Son of a bitch! I hate it when Feliciano cries. It's not that I feel bad for yelling at him (Because I don't, dammit!), it's because it's really fucking annoying. I could already feel the headache coming. I seriously just need to start carrying painkillers around with me just for whenever Feliciano calls. "Will you shut up, Feli? Dammit, I didn't mean to yell." He just cried harder. I rubbed at my temple hoping that would relieve some of the pain. "Did you hear me? I didn't mean it. Look, I'm sorry, now just tell me why you called."

He started to sniffle and I was glad he couldn't see me roll my eyes. I nearly sighed with relief when his sobbing subsided. "S-Sorry, Lovi. I-I just – I just wanted to k-know where you were."

"Quit stuttering." I snapped. "It's not of you damn business where I am. Why do you even want to know? Aren't you staying with that damn potato bastard?" If I ever have the opportunity to make that macho potato 'disappear' you can guarantee I will. Perhaps if I could convince España that that wurst-sucker assaulted me, I could get him to hunt the bastard down. Yeah, I think I might do that. That's what he gets for corrupting my innocent little brother. "Never mind, dammit, why are you calling me?"

"Mi dispiace, Lovi." He whimpered. "It's just, I came to visit you – because I haven't seen you since the World Meeting, and I missed you, ve~, and I told Luddy that I was going to go visit you and he told me to be careful, so I told him I would, and so I hugged him goodbye and he turned all pink and then I started to go back to my house, but then I forgot you don't live there anymore, but then I remembered where your new house was and so I went to visit you there! Ve, when I got there I looked all over the house, I even looked in your gardens, even though you said I'm not allowed in there without you – Oh! I'm sorry, fratello! I didn't mean to go in there, but I thought you might be there, but then you _weren't_ there! I was so worried and so I looked around your house again to make sure you weren't there before I called Luddy, because he told me not to call him about stupid things anymore, but this was important, but then I noticed that your car wasn't in the garage - Oh, sorry, I forgot I'm not allowed in the garage without you either, ve! So I called up Luddy anyways and I told him you'd gone missing and asked him if he knew where you were! Ve, he said he didn't know and that he thought he told me not to call him about stupid things like this, and then he told me to call you, so I did!"

…

What. The. Fuck.

I think my head just exploded. Only Feliciano could make a simple explanation so damn long and irritating – and did he seriously just call the potato bastard, Luddy? Whatever, forget that. I suppose Feliciano's ramble was partially my fault; I should have known not to ask him such an open question.

"Alright, bastard, I get it." Yeah, I was most definitely getting a migraine; at least Antonio always had painkillers hiding somewhere in the house. "Dammit, I just asked why you called, I didn't ask for an entire back story – and I thought I told you to stay away from that macho potato!"

"But, Lovi – ."

"No!" I snarled as I thought of all the violent things I could get España to do to that damn potato. "Why did you visit me? And don't give me that 'you missed me' bullshit. You're with the potato bastard so much anymore that we don't see each other for months at a time. The World Meeting wasn't even a week ago!"

"That's not true, Lovi! And I do to miss you! I wanted to make some pasta for you and – " I tuned him out at this time knowing that he would continue to rambling whether I listened or not. Dammit, that whole pasta thing was making me feel guilty though. It's not Feli's fault he's such a dumbass, and maybe he did actually miss me for once. It's _doubtful_ since all he seems to be able to think about is the macho potato, but it is _possible_ (…Yeah, I'm not buying it either).

"Okay, the truth now, Feliciano. Why are you calling?"

I knew I'd got him when the other end of the line went silent. "Well, I – I did want to visit you Lovi, but when I saw you weren't home I knew there was only one other place you could be."

"And that would be?"

"Big brother Toni's house, of course. But I wanted to make sure since you don't like it when I call you on Toni's house phone. You don't like it at all when I call you while you're over there, so I called your cell phone instead just to make sure you were there so I'd know not to call you there again – you _are_ at Big brother Toni's house aren't you?"

"That's none of your damn business! Also, I told you not to call that bastard that. He is not our big brother, dammit!"

"Well of course he's not, Lovi." Damn straight. "He's like _my_ big brother." What? I'm his only big brother! "He's something different for you, isn't he, Lovi?" I cringed at the singsong tone to his voice.

"What the fuck are you getting at!"

"I'm just saying, you _love_ big brother Toni." Dammit, I forgot how nosy Feliciano was (Not that he knew jack shit right now though! He was just making shit up), I could practically feel the smirk in his voice.

"I do _not_ love that tomato bastard!" I yelled at him. "He is a perverted bastard and I hope he burns in Hell!"

"If you really wished that, Lovi, then why do you visit, Toni so much? Hmm?" I struggled to find an answer. He responded to my silence with this sickeningly sweet giggle. "How long have you been at big brother Toni's house, Lovi? Oh! Did he finally make a move! I was hoping he would! Me and Japan and Hungary were making bets about when he would finally confess. Well, Miss Hungary was making bets about when he would 'screw you into next Tuesday', I'm not sure what she meant by that. Aww, did you tell him you loved him too! I'm so happy for you, Lovi!"

"Oh my _God_, Feliciano, shut the fuck up! Nothing like that happened. As I told you I don't love, Antonio; _and_, it's not of your damn business how long I've been at his house!" I realized what I'd said too late. Shit, Hungary would have a field day when Feliciano told her, I could no doubt expect that crazy bitch to try and break the doors down, video cameras and bloody tissues in tow, within the hour.

"Oooooh, you called him _Antonio_!" He giggled again. "That's so cute, Lovi. Do you have any pet names for big brother Antonio yet?" He ignored my snarls and continued to gush. "So you admit you are staying at his house. How long _have_ you been there Lovi? Are you two sharing the same bed yet? Luddy and I share the same – "

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, stronzo! And we're only sharing the same bed because – Son of a bitch!" Shit! What did I say that? "Every place else is taken!" Dammit, I am not helping myself. "Mind your own fucking business, Feliciano!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lovi. I shouldn't bug you about your _fucking_ business." I think the world just shattered. My innocent little fratello, just dropped the f-bomb. "Or should I call it yours and _Antonio's_ fucking business." Did he really just say that? My baby brother has been turned into a pervert.

"Feliciano Veneziano Vargas! What the Hell did you just say! Do you even know what you just said? What did I tell you about staying away from France! I don't care if you do think he's your older brother, you tell that potato bastard of yours to keep that fuckface away from you." That's about the only thing macho potatoes are good for. "And another thing, Ant-that tomato bastard and I are not fuc-we're not doing _that_. Dios, even if we were why the Hell would I tell you – dammit, just shut up!" I screeched at the phone, tempted to throw it out the window. Knowing my luck Spain would find it and tell my brother in detail what he plans to do to me, which would only encourage this sick fascination Feliciano has with setting me and the tomato bastard up.

"If you say one more word about this – to _anyone_ – and yes, that includes that bastard you live with, then I will kick your ass. You got that, fratello?"

"S-Si, Lovi. I was just – I was just teasing you. I didn't mean to upset you about this or anything I just thought – "

"I am _not_ upset!"

"Of course not!" He replied quickly, sounding as if he was going to have a panic attack any second now. "I just meant – I didn't mean anything by it, fratello, I just – I just – ." He started to sob again. Dammit to Hell, I just couldn't win today.

"Look, Feli, it's fine, I'm not angry. I – just stop trying to force this. I don't feel anything for-for Antonio," I could hear him snort but ignored it. ", and that idiot doesn't feel anything for me," There was another amused snort from my brother. ", we're just friends and that's all we'll ever be." I powered through before he could agrue. "Plus, if you talk about this, somehow Hungary will find out and come after us. If that happens, it will take forever to clean the nose blood off the floors."

"Oh. Right. Miss Hungary is scary when she tries to force people (men) together. I remember this one time she showed up at doitsu's place while I was there and she – "

"I _really_ don't want to know, Feliciano." I ground out. "Look, I'm not sure when I'll be back home, An-_Spain_ is, ah, he's sick right now – " I ignored the worried verbal tick my brother made at that. "And since he's a dumbass he'll only make it worse if he doesn't have someone to watch over him and make sure he doesn't go out drinking with the Albino bastard and the fuck-face. So until he gets better I'm going to be here."

"Oh, alright, Lovi!" He snickered and I briefly worried about what he was up to. "Make sure big brother Toni gets better soon."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." I grumbled wanting nothing more than to hang up on my stupid little brother before he killed what was left of my brain cells (being around Antonio for so long was sure to have killed most of them already).

"I better say goodbye soon, I'm sure I'm taking you away from big brother Toni." Yet another snicker. "Make sure he eats a lot of chicken noodle soup."

"Bastard only likes tomato soup, but sure, whatever." He was starting to piss me off. I knew how to take care of a sick person. Antonio had come home sick or injured countless times back when I was a colony and I'd had to help take care of him, even when I had been so scared and worried my hands were shaking – not because I was worried _for_ Antonio! No, because I was worried about what would happen to me should he kick the bucket. Probably would have been sent to live with Austria again. Anyways, I was sure I could take care of him – wait. Dammit, Antonio wasn't even sick!

"Oh, and make sure he's stays in bed!" Okay, now Feliciano was just being insulting. Even if I was a complete idiot I would know that a sick person is supposed to stay in bed until their fever goes down.

"Alright, fine, Feliciano. I know how – "

"Also, make sure to tell Antonio that you love him."

"Si, si. I will, now will you stop telling me what to do – " My eyes snapped fully open and my mouth dropped when I realized what he just said. "No, wait! I didn't mean that I – " He hung up on me with a quick 'goodbye, Lovi' before I could yell at him. "Dammit, you bastard! How dare you hang up on me!"

I snarled wordlessly and threw the phone as hard as I could…onto the bed (I'm not stupid enough to break the damn thing. That phone had been expensive). "That little shit. When I get my hands on him!" I continued to snarl and rant as I stomped down the stairs and back into the living room. I expected to find Antonio there, still watching that TV show, and I was hoping he was so I could yell at the bastard (misplaced aggression at its finest).

I came to an abrupt halt as I saw Antonio sitting where I'd left him, but now Spain was sitting in the armchair starring at the television with fascination, his eyes tracking the moving figures on the screen. España was sitting on the second couch, holding a book which he seemed to be reading from when he wasn't casting nervous glances at the TV. I could hear him mutter about witchcraft occasionally while unconsciously gripping the gold cross that hung from his neck whenever his gaze flicked to the mysterious box. They'd been here for almost two weeks now. I'm surprised they hadn't seen Antonio or I watching TV already.

I saw movement from the corner of my vision and turned my eyes away from the older version of Antonio (or younger depending on how you looked at it). It seems Antonio had finally noticed me. "Lovi! Come cuddle with boss." Antonio called from where he lounged on the couch; holding his arms out, not unlike a toddler, as if he actually thought that would work

"Hell no, tomato bastard." I snarled quickly backing away from the couch. I was not in any way tempted to take the bastard up on his offer; especially not after that call from Feliciano.

"You'd rather sit on _my_ lap, wouldn't you, my little Roma?" Spain purred, leaning back and patting his lap in a manner he must have thought was enticing. As usual he was staring at me as a starving man stares at a steak. I didn't even feel this violated when France was touching me (okay, that's not true, but that stare was still pretty damn invasive).

I quickly darted past both of them to sit next to España who calmly placed his arm around my shoulder in order to pull me close as he continued to read what looked like a strategy book, still turning glares at the 'devil's box' whenever he turned a page, as if afraid it would come alive and attack us all. Superstitious psychopath.

Spain sneered at España, looking like he'd leap from the armchair and tackle his Conquistador counterpart. Antonio pouted for a few seconds before shrugging and looking back at his show. I flinched as Spain turned his sneer on me, not because I was afraid of him, but because he actually looked…sad. I didn't know that was possible. Spain growled again before shoving off the arms of the chair and onto his feet. He stalked from the room, hands fisted at his side. What the Hell was his problem?

Antonio watched him leave before looking back at me. "Who was on the phone, Lovi?" I didn't think he'd heard my phone…perhaps I had been too loud in my yelling at Feliciano.

"Just my stupid little brother." I grumbled. Dammit, I didn't want to hear him squeal about how cute Feliciano was. It pissed me off every time and that bastard never seemed to notice (or care) he'd just wonder aloud why I was throwing things at him every time he started to talk about Feli.

"Oh! How is your cute little brother doing?" Shit. I tried to ignore the way my chest tightened and the burning feeling that made me want to hunt down Feliciano and punch him in his 'cute' little face. Antonio didn't seem to notice and continued to ramble about how cute and sweet my little brother was. Fuck. Please don't let him compare the two of us. That always hurts worse. I know that Antonio prefers me to Feli, he's told me so, but every time he talks like this I can't help but wonder if that's actually true, and it brings me back to the day I heard him talking to Austria about trading the two of us…dammit. That had been, and was still, the worst day of my life; it hurts even now to think about.

I could feel my hands curl into fists, tightening until the point it hurt and my knuckles turned white, and digging my nails into my palm; had they been sharper I'm sure my palm would be bleeding. My jaw clenched, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Dammit, why does this always bother me so much?

I jolted as España's arm dropped from my shoulder to rub my back in soothing strokes. I flinched again when he pressed a kiss to my temple and whispered softly in my ear, "Don't cry, Romano." I hadn't even noticed the hot tears that had been threatening to spill over from the corner of my eyes; I quickly wiped them onto my sleeve before anyone else saw. He closed his book and set it down beside him. He ran his free hand through my hair, avoiding my curl, as he continued to rub my back. "He doesn't mean to hurt you. He only thinks your brother is cute because he looks almost exactly like you, little one. There is no one he-_we_ care for more than you. I only came back from the New World so often because I wanted to see you. Not North Italy."

"Really?" He smiled warmly at me. I'd never seen España wear such as soft expression. I scrunched up my eyes as he placed a second kiss on my forehead and pulled me into a hug. Antonio had been away a lot during those days. I almost never saw him, but I had refused to write letters and tell him how much I missed him, because I sure as Hell didn't, dammit! Still whenever he did manage to make it home, no matter how hurt (sometimes leaving trails of blood) and exhausted he was the first thing he did was pick me up and spin me around (had he the strength) and tell me how much he missed his little tomato. Grant it that had been the Antonio side of his personality, but I'd had no idea that España had actually missed me.

"Of course, Romano." I hardly noticed when he shifted so he was leaning on the arm of the couch and he had me curled up against his chest, tucking my head under his chin, as he continued to pet my hair. "I love you very much, pequeño." I tried to jerk my head up to look at him, but he kept me firmly in place. "I do, Romano, so don't ever think that I, or Antonio, or even Spain, cares for anyone more than we care for you."

I could once again feel the back of my eyes burning. Why did I want to cry so much? I couldn't even be sure what he said was true, besides, Antonio says he loves me, but he also says he loves Feli, and Prussia, and France, and just about everyone. Spain, I think Spain only feels lust towards anyone. He most certainly doesn't love me, he just wants in my pants. But España. I could probably believe España loves me. Everything he does is in order to protect me. I'm not sure exactly what it means when he says he loves me, but if I had to guess I'd say it was in the familial, even fraternal way.

"España." I mumbled, once again trying to push away so I could look at him as I spoke. He made a small affirmative noise that told me he was listening. "I – umm. I don't understand. I was always such a brat – I still…why – "

His fingers carded through the hair at the back of my head, and gently pulled me towards him until his forehead was rested against mine. "Romano." He paused until he was sure I was looking at him. "I do not care about that, I never have, but do _not_ put yourself down, small one. You may be – you used to be hard to handle," _used_ to be? ", but I never loved you any less for that. I'm sure if you were to ask the others they would say the same."

I looked over to where Antonio was sprawled out on the couch, watching the television again. He must have gotten bored singing Feliciano's praises with no one to listen. Every time I looked at the curly haired bastard my chest tightened painfully and what España was saying was getting harder and harder to believe.

No, dammit! Antonio preferred me over Feliciano. He said so. He – he promised. Fuck, why did I even care? Antonio was just a dumbass tomato bastard. I didn't need his-his l-l-lov-attention! Besides two out of three of his personalities I knew for sure preferred me, so he must to right. Then again, Spain hasn't seen Feliciano yet. He might just think that dumbass is more beautiful than me –

Shit! I'm a man. Men are not beautiful! I meant handsome, dammit, handsome and manly and rugged and…yeah. I fucking meant fucking handsome and – and sexy, assholes.

Never mind. What I'm trying to say is that Spain hasn't seen Feliciano yet so who knows if he'd still want me once he sees Feli. Once again I'm wondering why I care so much. Wouldn't it be a good thing if Spain stopped chasing me and groping my ass and went for Feliciano instead? At least Feli has the macho potato to protect his vital regions. Then again I had España to protect me –

España pulled back enough so that his forehead no longer touched mine, then leaned up and placed a kiss on the bridge of my nose. "Te amo, Romano." He whispered. I'm not sure what compelled me to do it and if you bastards say anything I swear I'll deny it ever happened, but I wrapped my arms around España's neck and buried my nose in his shoulder. I suppressed the urge I had to reply to those soft words. I wanted to reply, but I was unsure as to what I wanted to say.

"Hey! Lovi~, I offered to cuddle with you!" I turned my head over my shoulder at the obnoxious whine so that I could glare at the tomato bastard. "Why will you cuddle with España but not me? It hurts Boss' feelings. I love you, mi tomate."

"Shut the fuck up!" I snarled, pushing away from España, just now realizing that I'd actually initiated a hug. _Me_! What the Hell was wrong with me today? Worse yet, Antonio saw. Dammit, now he's going to be expecting hugs. I don't know if I can deal with that shit. "Screw you." I flipped him the bird and stomped out of the room. "Stupid, fucking bastards. I just want to punch that dumbass in his dumbass face." I started to tromp up the stairs; Spain poked his head out of Antonio's room probably to see what all the commotion was about. "Not now, Spain." I hissed, shoving past him when he tried to stop me. "Assholes. All of them!" I slammed the door behind me, completely ignoring Spain's confused gaze.

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><p><strong>AN: Once again, feel free to leave reviews or give suggestions. Constructive criticism is always welcome, flames on the other hand: Well, why are you here in the first place?**


	7. Ch 6: Another Front Door Assault

**A/N:**

**I've decided to no longer be lazy and mention all of you wonderful readers who left your equally wonderful reviews: KitsuneMagic48, Bookworm24601, xXNelisa, BAYBAY841, Neon Douche, Yuri n' Chuka, watergoddesskasey, Windup-Charmer, sanemadness, AnnaSunshine77, Airis Hanamori, DefineSugar, MapleLeafPianist, animebaka14, lightwolfheart, Mochikyan, Catsdon'tcry, APH1168kittens. Whether you left a comment or not I would like to say thanks to everyone who is reading/favorite this story.**

**As I said in the previous chapter feel free to leave suggestions. Some of you already have and I believe I responded to most of you. Once again, most of you seem to prefer Spain so I hope you all will enjoy this chapter (;**

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><p>Yet again that damn doorbell is ringing. I seriously need to either disable it, or get one of the three tomato bastards (probably España) to rip the damn thing out of the wall.<p>

I suppose it was a good thing that those bastards still don't seem to know what to do when the fucking doorbell rings. As far as I was aware Antonio was in the back watering his tomato garden (a few of them were soon going to be ripe enough that we could harvest again) and España was on the other side of the house "securing all points of entry"; whatever that means. So that only left Spain to worry about.

So once again I was answering the door, praying that it wouldn't be Hungary, or some other nosy nation. The doorbell sounded as if it was being raped and I started to get a pretty good idea of who was on the other side of the door. I shouldn't have opened it.

I opened the door anyways only to find not only France, but potato bastard number two (or Prussia as he's more commonly known) leering back at me; the albino bastard still had his finger pressed to the doorbell.

I did what any other _sane_ nation would do.

I slammed the door in their face and attempted to lock it. Those damn bastards were trying to force their way in though, shoving back against the door and twisting the handle so I couldn't lock it; yelling about how they "just wanted to help their dear friend Antonio". Give me a fucking break.

I was just about to flip the lock in place when a pair of hands snatched my hips and pulled me away from the door and into an embrace. A soft pair of lips pressed themselves to the nape of my neck shortly thereafter, causing a shiver to trail up my spine and my face to heat up. There was only one person in this house who would do such a thing.

Spain ignored my protests and started to trail kisses and nibbles up the column of my neck to my ear; all the while lisping, no doubt dirty, perverse things, in Spanish. "Where have you been, mi querido? Hmm? I've been looking all over for mi amorcito. You've been avoiding me haven't you?" That was a lie; Spain had been off pouting and avoiding me and his other counterparts.

"S-S-Spain!" I gasped, trying to wriggle out of his arms. Those bastards would be in the house any second. "Let go of me" I could practically feel the blood rushing to my face.

"Not a chance, mi cariño" He whispered, sliding his arms to wrap more firmly around my torso as he kissed the back of my ear. Of course that _would_ be the scene France and Prussia opened the door on. Fuck my life.

"Romano, why would you shut the door on the awesome…me…" Prussia just stood there with his jaw hanging open; watching in shock as Spain completely ignored him in favor of placing kisses along my jaw line. If I hadn't been too busy staring horrified at the ex-nation I might have shoved Spain's face away from my neck. I sure as Hell would have tried to struggle out of his arms instead of just standing there, blushing like an idiot.

"You know, the awesome me can always come back later if you want." Prussia offered, chuckling at me as I squirmed underneath his red stare. Spain for the first time seemed to notice his friends.

"Si, if you would, mis amigos," He answered, a smile on his face, but his voice clearly showing his impatience. "This _is_ after all the first time I've actually managed to catch my little Roma." He nipped at the tip of my ear. Ah – I covered my mouth, I did _not_ almost moan. What he was doing was creepy and in no way did it feel good – oh god! I didn't know ears could be so sen-sensitive.

"Honhonhon. Antoine, we always knew you would realize your feelings for Romano. You know. Eventually." France purred. Bullshit, you asshole! Aren't you forgetting that you're the one who tried to rape me just a few days ago? The quick glare Spain shot France clearly stated that _he_ sure hadn't.

And what were they talking about? Realize his feelings for me. As far as I was aware the tomato bastard, Antonio that is, saw me as his friend, maybe even as a brother. Spain on the other hand…well Spain made his intentions quite obvious. He nuzzled his nose along the length of my neck as if to prove my point.

"Realize my feelings?" Spain stopped molesting me long enough to question. "I've known how I've felt for my Roma since the moment I saw him" He placed a kiss on my cheek. This one unlike the others in how brief and, God I don't want to say it, sweet it was.

"Toni, man, I know we're called the Bad Touch Trio and all, but seriously. Not awesome. You've know Romano since he was a little kid. That's gross. I mean, we always knew you liked cute things, but that's more than a little too far."

Spain's arms loosed just slightly around me as he gave the ex-nation a confused look. "What are you talking about? I've only known _this_ Romano for – "

I quickly slap my hand over Spain's mouth; going so far as to completely turn about in his arms, so that we were chest to chest, just so I could slap both hands over his damn mouth. Spain just arched an eyebrow at me as his friends whispered to each other, not entirely sure what's going on. Though I couldn't see it, I could feel the smirk that was spreading across his lips. I soon realized the devious thing he was up to when he started placing kisses on my palm.

Now typically, my knee jerk reaction would be to snatch my hand away and start throwing curses left and right at the pirate bastard, but I didn't want to take the risk of Spain giving away anything to those jackasses he considers friends.

Turns out I didn't have to though since Spain pulled my hands away from his mouth on his own just so he could start trailing kisses up my arm, no doubt eventually tying for my neck. That perverted bastard! As soon as I get those asshole friends of his to leave I'm giving him a piece of my mind! It's bad enough those dumbasses think Antonio and I are together, I don't need Spain molesting me in front of them to confirm it – wait! No! Antonio and I are _not_ together; no way no how! What the Hell am I even thinking!

Spain did in fact move on to place kisses on my neck. Dammit, I want to punch him in to face. What did he think he was going to accomplish by –

"Nh-Ahhh! S-Spain!" Prussia and France froze up, silencing their whispers in favor of turning startled looks at me. They couldn't have been any more surprised than I was; I didn't even know I could make such a noise. Dammit, why'd I have to gasp like _that_? It didn't even feel that good – Spain nipped at the skin where my shoulder connects to my neck (bastard probably left a mark!) before soothing it with a small kiss – oh who am I kidding. I'd never been touched this way, it was surprisingly –

Wait! No, this was Spain we were talking about. There was no way I would let him do this; I was _not_ going to give in to his flirting (technically it had already moved past that point). "Cut it out, Spain." I snarled trying to twist out of his hold.

Prussia coughed awkwardly. "Hey, Toni, uh, Franny and I are just going to go, okay? Quite obviously you are busy, and Romano seems to be enjoying it," He shot me a wink. ", so we'll just come back later when you're done with this."

"Good! GO! Get the fuck out of here and don't you dare come back you bastards. If I see your faces around here again I'll – "

"If I'd known you wanted me all to yourself, mi amante, I would have made them leave ages ago" Spain purred, his arms sliding from their hold around my upper body down to my lower back. He pulled me into what I'd have to call an embrace, once more placing kisses on my jaw and cheek while lisping Spanish into my ear. "Te quiero." He whispered nuzzling into my hair.

"Aww, but I wanted to watch Antoine finally nail that fine piece of Italian ass. Honhonhon!" I turned the harshest glare I could muster at the Frenchman; kind of difficult to do with any amount of dignity when you have a determined Spaniard trying (and no doubt succeeding) to leave a trail of hickeys on your neck and throat.

"I apologize, mi amigo, but _no one_ will _ever_ have the privilege of seeing _my_ beautiful little Roma in such a way but _me_." Though Spain said it with a pleasant enough smile, there was a dangerous edge to his voice and a psychotic gleam in his eyes that left his fellow Iberian nation trembling and backing up towards the door.

"You know what, you're right, Antoine. Gilbert and I will just leave and come back later, maybe tomorrow. That will give you plenty of time with-with Romano." He let loose another one of his pervy laughs but it was more scared than anything.

"You're acting really weird, Toni; awesome weird, yeah, but weird all the same. You're kind of acting like you did back during your Armada days." My back stiffened, Spain noticed and started to rub my shoulders, but that didn't stop me from nearly having a panic attack. "I thought Franny said he was acting like he did in his Conquistador days." Oh god, they were going to find out!

"Yeah, now that you mention it…" France closely studied Spain (eyes straying too long on his ass for my liking – not that I was jealous or anything stupid like that). "What happened, Romano? Last time he was here he was treating you like you were his colony again. He most _certainly_ wasn't feeling you up, not that I mind, honhonhon."

"He-he's been regaining his…memories." I shot Spain a warning glare as if to say 'do not contradict me'. Spain was once again too busy nuzzling my hair to notice or comment, a soft smile (yeah, I'm also surprised that bastard was capable or anything other than a smirk) on his lips and an almost purring sound rumbling from his chest. I doubted he was even paying enough attention to have heard what any of us were saying.

Regaining his memories. Come on! I can lie much better than that…sometimes…never to Antonio (Bastard knows me too well). There was no way these two would believe such an obvious lie. Sure they were morons, but they weren't stupid enough to think that –

"Well, why didn't you say so, Romano!" Of fucking course, these two were such dumbass they'd believe just about anything. "He's recovering pretty well then I guess. How did this happen again?" I shrugged, albino bastard just brushed it off and kept rambling, "Whatever, the awesome me doesn't need to know. As I said he seems to be recovering pretty well with just your help, so think how quick he'd be back to his old cheerful self with me and Franny's help!"

"Fuck no!" I snarled, nearly jerking out of Spain's arms to take a swing at Prussia, however Spain's grip was firm and I only succeeded in turning so my back was pressed against his chest again. I'm not sure where the sudden bravery came from, usually I'd let Antonio make the threats, protecting this secret was just really important. If I knew those two, and unfortunately I did, then their way of helping him out would be to take him out drinking and then make him do all kinds of stupid shit. "If I leave him with you two, _you'll_ get him shitfaced" I snarled glaring at the albino bastard. ", and _you'll_ try to rape his clueless ass" I hissed at France (I'm not sure why that thought pissed me off more).

"Why, Romano, you wound me. I would never take advantage of mon ami Antoine. Especially not when he has a cute little Italian for a lover." He leered.

"He is _not_ my lover." I growled, ignoring Spain's comment of 'not yet, mi angelito'. I might have been more intimidating if Spain wasn't currently glued to my back, still whispering lusty things at me, trying to pull me back, deeper into the house, no doubt towards Antonio's bedroom. "Besides, you bastards would just get in trouble and I'd have to bail you three out. Now piss off."

"Alright, Alright. Keep your pants on. At least until we leave. Or not" France purred, receiving yet another snarl from Spain. "We'll leave you two alone."

"But we'll be back later to help Toni remember. Have fun you too! The awesome me approves." He winked at Spain. "Have fun, Toni." He pulled France out the front door after Spain told him he most certainly would. Like Hell.

"Don't you dare come back, you bastards! If I catch you two around here – " The front door slammed behind them cutting off my angry threats. "Your friends are assholes!" I informed Spain, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Mhmm." He murmured against my neck, beneath my ear. "Whatever you say, my Romanito."

"I mean serious asshole. How can you stand to be around them – wait, never mind, you can be just as much an asshole when you want to be." He made a noncommittal sound. "And another thing - !

"What the Fuck do you think you're doing?" Spain cursed under his breath and stopped his wandering hands. I'd been so worked up I'd hardly noticed when Spain's hands started to drift both too low for my liking as well as too high as he tried to get a hand up my shirt. He removed the one hand from my shirt but the other was still much too low on my hips right at my waistband, his fingertips brushing my skin. "Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me."

I expected Spain to continue doing whatever the Hell he wanted and by the way he tightened his grip on me and squeezed I thought he was going to do just that but instead he reluctantly released me, placing a kiss on my forehead as he drew away.

"Of course, mi amado" He sighed, then walked off to some other part of the house, he stopped off halfway down the hall. "Just, why is it that you'll curl up and be all nice to España and that-that wimp, but whenever I…forget it." He grumbled, continuing off down the hallway.

He-he actually listened! He actually let me go…but Spain is a horny bastard, why would he – not that I care or anything, but still. Now that I think about it he's never actually gone too far. Well, he did grope me that one time, and he does like to pin me against things and his hands did drift too far today but – what was I getting at? Oh right, the point is that Spain's never actually gone too far and raped me or anything (Not like France would have by now). He's never left any marks on my neck (though I'm not certain if that's true anymore, I'd have to check a mirror soon), and he generally listens when I tell him to stop. Usually he looks pissed afterwards, but today he just looked defeated, upset even. Why? Yeah, I rejected him, but he should know not to try anymore (As I've said I don't swing that way) and it's not like there's anything between me and the others.

You know what; I don't want to think about this. It'll only piss me off more and confuse me. What matters now is how I'm going to keep those two bastards from finding out about Antonio. No matter what I do or say they're just going to come back and keep bothering me until they stumble upon the truth. I can't let that happen so I'm going to have to take the three tomato bastards somewhere else. The only problem is where.

I could take them back to my house since the only people who actually know where I live ever since I moved out of Feli's house are Feli, my boss, and Antonio. The only reason my boss knows where I live is so he could find me should Feli drive our economy into the ground and he needs me to bail us out of shit…again. Feli only visits when he wants something, or at least it seems that way and since he just 'visited' it's doubtful he'll go looking for me there anytime soon. If he did need to talk to me he'd no doubt show up here and since I have no intentions of staying here waiting for the rest of the BTT to return he'd just go back to the macho potato and cry about how he'd lost me.

The more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea was. The only problem with bringing the three tomato bastards to my house until this is all settled was, well, actually bringing those three tomato bastards to my house. My little Ferrari wasn't going to fit all four of us, and I doubted España would even get into the automobile, he'd probably think it was more witchcraft. Also, there was no way in hell we were taking Antonio's shitty little SEAT Ibiza. I hated that damn thing; I think they stopped making it in the 90's or something. No doubt because they realized what complete shit they were…then again, my hatred for Antonio's shitty red car probably spawned from the fact that the Germans had some hand in the production of it…hmm, yeah, probably. Whatever, the point is that there was no fucking way that I was leaving my baby here for the F and G in FAGs to key. Or worse yet for Hungary to find and…draw conclusions. Who knows what her fucked up mind would think if she saw my car sitting in Antonio's driveway.

No matter what though, I had to get the three bastards out of this house/mansion. It was only a matter of time before someone showed up, who wasn't a complete dumbass or someone who refused to be turned away at the front door. Now all I had to do was figure out how we were going to get there…shit.

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><p><strong>AN: I already have the next four chapters written and so that I have something to post once school gets taxing I'll be posting one every Thursday. So I hope you all can wait until next Thursday for **_**Chapter 7: I'm not Marrying That Bastard**_**. Draw the conclusions you will from that title ;D**


	8. Ch 7: I'm Not Marrying That Bastard

**A/N: **

**Thanks to all my lovely readers and a special thanks to those of you who commented on the previous chapter: KitsuneMagic48, Bookworm24601, MapleLeafPianist, Catsdon'tcry, and MsAtrabilious.**

**Disclaimer: I think you've already gathered by now that I do not own Hetalia in any way shape or form (except in my imagination, but that won't hold up in court).**

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><p>"I'm going to kill that bastard," I snarled, staring into the mirror. ", I really mean it this time!" When I find out where in this damn mansion he's hiding I'm going to go all mafia on his ass…better yet I'll show España and he'll all too readily do that for me.<p>

I glared at the purple and blue splotches marring my neck and – shit! He had somehow managed to leave bruises on my shoulders (How the fuck had he managed that!). It wasn't even like there was one or two of them or they were in easily concealable places. No. Not at all. That bastard had marked me where he _knew_ I wouldn't be able to hide them and he marked me just about everywhere.

So far I've only had one hickey in my life, and that had been from Antonio – now before you start getting any ideas, that only happened once, and it had been when Antonio had stumbled home drunk after a night/early morning out with France and Prussia. That bastard had practically fallen into the house (I'm still not sure how he'd managed to get to _my _house or why he came to my house in the first place). As soon as I'd opened the door he collapsed on me, whispering softly in Spanish before nibbling on my collarbone. Luckily he'd completely forgotten about it in the morning, he'd just wondered how he got to my house. To explain it he came up with this fucking ridiculous idea that he'd teleported in his sleep. He spent the two following weeks trying to 'teleport' again (And he wonders why I call him a dumbass).

At least that one had been easy to hide, I mean dammit. Just looking at these I knew that I probably wouldn't even have to tell España about this. He'll just see them when I go down for breakfast and launch himself over the table at Spain.

I looked over my shoulder to where the tomato bastard was still sleeping, completely oblivious to my crisis. I thought about throwing something at his head just so he'd wake up and I could bitch at him about his damn pirate self, but I _know _he'd just start give me that dopey grin, tell me how cute I was blushing like that (assuming he woke up at all), then beg and whine at me to come back to bed and cuddle with him. So in order to avoid that, I instead opted to raid my old closet for something to wear; anything that would cover up the majority (if not all) of these bite-marks. I'm not sure what though since, as I said, they were everywhere and putting pressure on them sort of stung.

Upon closer inspection I noticed there was a small S nibbled into the flesh at my collarbone. How in the fuck - Okay, he's definitely dead now. It was bad enough that he marked me but that he had the balls to actually initial me. I'll fucking kill him. Absolute first thing I do when I see him, even before I send España after him, I'll kick Spain in the nuts. I'd like to see that bastard try to have kids once I'm through with him. Not that countries can have children without extenuating circumstances, and not that he'd have kids anyways since I'm pretty sure he's completely gay, or at the least prefers men over women, but – you know what, never mind. Even I'm not sure what I was getting at anymore, point is I'm going to kick him till it just isn't fun anymore.

"SPAIN!" I slammed the door open, Antonio fell out of the bed at the sudden noise, my mood slightly improved when I heard Antonio start to moan about how he'd landed on his face (Yep, that made me feel so much better). Didn't mean I wasn't going to strangle Spain still. "You fucking bastard! You get your ass out here now! " I heard more stumbling and falling sounds, this time from the room that was previously Antonio's. I stomped towards the door, ignoring the fact that should he want Spain was stronger enough to…overpower me. However, I was far too pissed right now to think clearly.

The door in front of me swung inwards, revealing a startled and somewhat sleeping looking Spain standing in the doorway. His eyes settled on me and for a few moments he actually looked nervous (I must look more intimidating than I thought). Of course that didn't last long and as soon as Spain caught sight of my "pajamas", his one track mind drifted into the gutter…again.

"Ah, mi Romanito. It is so wonderful to see you this early in the morning." I shivered as his eyes raked over my body. Dammit I should have at least put on a t-shirt before I stormed off in my vengeful rage. "Mmm, I could get used to seeing you like this, mi amorcito." He purred, hooking his thumbs into the elastic waistband of my sleep pants so that he could pull me into the room.

I shoved him away. "Spain, I am not in the mood for this shit. What the fuck did you do this for?" I hissed, jabbing at the S-shaped bite mark. "Do you have any idea how hard it will be to hide these!" Spain's eyes narrowed, not seeming to notice or care as I continued my rant. "Are you listening? Pay attention to me, dammit!"

Spain snatched my wrist and yanked me into the room; he slammed the door shut behind me before pressing me to it. "Why would I want you to hide them, Roma?" He growled. "I've told you before and I'll continue to tell you until you finally get it. I want you, Romano, and I won't stop until I have you." He grabbed my chin and tilted it up, exposing my throat to him. "You _will_ be mine and I _will_ claim you before the others can; even if it means leaving a few marks like these," He pressed a gentle kiss to the closest mark ", to prove just how serious I am. I will not give you away, not to anyone. I promise this, mi amado." His fingers locked behind my back and he drew me closer, until his forehead touched mine.

"Look, you can promise all you want, but I'm not going to-to give you what you want just so you can chase after someone else once you get it. So you might as well go and find someone else to-to s-satisfy you. B-besides, I'm not interested in-in men." I spluttered the last bit and I could feel my face heat up. Dammit, when had it become so hard to make that line sound convincing? I was a man, and an _Italian_ man at that. I flirted with pretty girls all the time. Sure it never went past flirting, but – No! I was not ga-I'm straight dammit!

"Chase someone else?" He cocked his head to one side, giving me the confused look I often found occupying Antonio's face. "Who else is there that is as perfect as mi Roma." His arms tightened around me, pressing our chests together. "I don't expect you to give yourself to me, Roma, at least, not yet; but you never have to worry about me leaving you once I have you." I flinched only slightly when he pressed a kiss to my brow. "I would guard you and treasure you as you deserve, mi corazón."

Well if I hadn't been blushing before I sure as Hell was now. I tried to push him away, but for some reason my arms felt like jelly now and I could do no more than softly nudge him. Why did he say things like this? He was a pirate wasn't he? His word didn't mean shit. As soon as he found someone better, someone less difficult, he'd forget all about me. I'm not sure why such a thought hurt so much.

I sighed tiredly. "Let go of me, Spain." I muttered quietly, defeated almost. "I've got stuff to do." I tried to nudge him away again and this time he released me. "Come down for breakfast soon, I need to discuss something with the three of you." I turned around and opened the door. Spain stood behind me, watching me leave, for once his eyes not on my ass.

**~Chigi~Chigi~Chigi~Bastard~Chigi~Chigi~Chigi~**

I sat down at the table, breakfast sitting in front of me, and the three tomato bastards sitting around me, all of them watching me with varying degrees of curiosity. Spain looked more closely than the other and I tried my damndest not to meet his eyes. "Okay, so…We can't stay here." The three glanced at each other.

"What do you mean, Romano?" España questioned, I noticed his eyes quickly flicking down to the collar of my shirt before return to my face. I'd tried my best to cover the bite marks, but some of them were too high up to cover without a scarf and since it was too damn hot this time of year to wear one, I was stuck leaving the upper most hickeys exposed. Though I'll be damned if I didn't wear the highest collared shirt I owned (or rather, kept at Antonio house).

"Those bastards you guys consider your friends were over here yesterday and since I don't think it'd be a good idea to let them know about…this," I gestured vaguely at the three of them. ", then we're going to have to go somewhere else before they come back."

"Why does it matter if they know or not, Lovi?" Antonio questioned, his head tilted to one side. His eyes also drifted down to look at the marks but he looked confused by them rather than pissed off as España had. "Hey, Lovi, did France give you those?" He much like España was now glaring at the marks. In my peripherals I could see Spain smirk.

"Uh…N-no. But look, that's not the point right now, point is that if those assholes found out then it wouldn't be long before the rest of the world knew and this just turns into one giant cluster fuck."

"Romano, language." I was sorely tempted to flip España off but I knew how much of a bad idea that was (thanks to my colony days) so I resorted to giving him a dirty look.

"Okay, so where are we going to go, Romanito?" Spain asked, resting his elbow on the table and leaning on his palm as he openly admired the red and purple bruises he'd left on me. I could see España's eye twitch as he realized where or who exactly those marks had come from.

"My house." I replied quickly, distracting España from his anger before he could launch himself at Spain. I'm not sure what had changed. I'd been all too happy earlier today at the thought and surely those sweet empty promises Spain had made hadn't affected me.

"Yay! We get to go to Lovi's house!" Antonio cheered, knocking his chair over in his haste to make it around the table and pull me into a crushing hug. "It's been so long since I've been there – oh! You still have a tomato garden right?" I nodded. "Can I help with it?"

"I-uh-it's not - my gardens isn't as nice as yours is, An-tomato bastard, but…sure." He cheered once again and squeezed me even tighter. It had been a while since I've been home, so I was hoping that my tomato garden hadn't withered and died in my absence, at least not past the point of repair.

"Mi Romanito has his own house?" Spain exchanged a look with España. "You mean, you don't actually live here?" España looked as equally confused. The two continued to exchange confused stares before turning simultaneous glares on Antonio. "You mean you let him go!" They snarled (Well España snarled, Spain sounded more horrified than anything).

"WHY?" Spain also stood up now and circled the table, yanking me up from my chair, out of Antonio's arms and into his own. "Why would you ever give up our Romano?" He nuzzled my hair. "I can't imagine ever letting my Roma go."

"Neither can I." España rumbled, joining us on my side of the table. "Who did you give him to?" He snarled, no doubt thinking about the day before and how I'd shared my…my insecurities with him. "Or did you become weak and someone took him from you."

"I'm _never_ going to become so weak that I cannot protect and keep my Roma." España muttered rubbing his cheek against the top of my head.

"Look here, bastards! Antonio didn't have a choice. That albino bastard, your supposed friend, joined up against him with eyebrow bastard and that pothead Netherlands. He'd just gotten done with a civil war and he'd been through a lot of shit. So shut the fuck up! What do you know?" Shit, why am I defending him? "I had to go live with that uptight bastard Austria for a while but it wasn't so bad, okay, it was sort of bad, France was around…a lot. But, Feliciano and I eventually became a unified nation."

"Still, I can't imagine letting you go. Especially not to Austria." Spain mumbled, messing with my hair, drifting far too close to that particular curl for my liking. I elbowed him away.

"I had to let mi Lovinito go." He smiled at me, a soft sad thing that look so out of place on Spaniard's typically cheerful face. "I tried to get him back, I refused to sign the treaty with Austria, but my boss pushed me into another war, and I…I couldn't get him back." It's okay though, he would visit, and he still comes back…sometimes." Dammit, maybe I should visit the bastard more often after this is all over. I mean, it's not like I've got anything else to do.

"Even so, why didn't you do anything to ensure he would return and stay?" España rumbled. "Even after he and North Italy united there must have been something you could have done to bring Romano back to you-to us."

"Well, there was this one time, six-seven years ago that I-I proposed to Lovino, but h-he said no," He let out a bitter sounding laugh, ", probably for the best I suppose. I'm still not entirely sure what…compelled me to ask him…"

"I never said no." I snarled, not sure why I was angry, it's not like I'd actually wanted to marry the tomato bastard back then – and I don't want to now, dammit! "I said I'd agree if I got three meals and a nap everyday…with pasta." I grumbled.

"What!" Spain smacked Antonio over the back of his head. "We-you could have easily provided that! Why in the Hell didn't you marry our little Romano?" España nodded in agreement. Spain wheeled back around to face me. "Mi amor, will you marry _me_ then? I will ensure you have three meals a day, a nap, and as much pasta as you could possibly eat!" That last one was probably an impossible promise, as anyone who knew me and/or my brother would know, but I had little doubt Spain would at least try.

"Hell no! It was a joke dammit! Neither Antonio or I were s-serious about getting married." At least, I'm pretty sure that tomato bastard hadn't been serious. "The only reason he asked was because his country had just legalized gay marriage" I grumbled. "He was asking just for the Hell of it. Look, this isn't what I wanted to talk to you three about so can we stop talking about this. It's damn emba-obnoxious!"

"Lo siento, Roma" "Si, I'm sorry, Lovi" "My apologies, Romano" They replied simultaneously; Spain with a small pout, Antonio with his head hung looking sheepish, and España looking thoroughly chastised.

"Good" I grumbled to myself for a few moments, trying to remember what exactly is was we were talking about before the whole…marriage thing. "As I said, we can't stay here much longer, so we're going to go to my house." I cast a glare at España when he started to mutter about how weak he must have become to let me go so easily. "The only problem is getting there."

"Umm…well, we could always take my car, Lovi." Antonio offered, a grin quickly spreading across his face. "You can sit up front with me! Won't that be fun, Lovi!"

I glared at him. "No. No it would not. I hate that shitty little car of yours. Besides, what am I going to do with my Ferrari? Huh? What about that dumbass?"

"Oh…well you could always park your Ferrari in my garage. There's plenty of room in there." Dammit, why hadn't I thought of that? I'd have to make sure Antonio locked all the doors before we left so someone wouldn't waltz right in and decide to take my baby for a joyride, but it was better than the alternative (i.e. leaving it out in the open for France and/or Prussia to steal and/or key).

"Fine…that still means we have to take that piece of shit Ibiza of yours." I crossed my arms – no I was not pouting! "Well, we might as well go today, who knows how soon those bastards will be back."

"Don't speak so lowly of mis amigos, Roma. France and Prussia are decent enough to give me _plenty_ of time to have my wicked way with you." Spain leered, eyes half lidded. "They won't be back until tomorrow, maybe even the day after that."

"Do what now – " España started to stand, no doubt he'd go find his war axe and embed it in Spain's skull.

"_Anyways_! We need to leave soon. I don't want to be here when those jackasses come back." Antonio nodded. He'd probably agree to just about anything I told him to do…dumbass. España reluctantly grumbled an agreement, even if he did claim he could have _ensured_ that Prussia and France wouldn't return. Spain continued to smirk as he shrugged an agreement.

"Where you go, so shall I, mi querido." He vowed, gripping my chin in order tilt it up. He had just started to lean down towards me when España gripped the back of his neck and pulled him away.

"Keep your hands and all other parts of you to yourself, Spain" España warned, shoving him away and towards the sink before standing between the two of us. "Now what exactly is this thing you and Antonio keep talking about? This…carrr?"

"A car?" Antonio bounced forward, more than happy to explain to his (younger?) counterpart. "Well, you see, a car is like a, like a carriage?" He looked back to me for confirmation; I just waved at him to continue. I really wanted to see where this was going. No doubt España would be more confused by the end of Antonio's description. "Right, well, its likes a carriage, it's got four wheels, and room for passengers, usually four or five, but some of them can hold even more than that!"

España cocked and eyebrow at me as if to say 'what the hell is he talking about?' Antonio continued to ramble on, ignoring the Conquistador's near vacant expression. Spain seemed like he was actually listening, looking absolutely fascinated. "Wait, wait!" Spain held up his hands. "You mean these carriages do not need horses!" A genuine grin spread across his face.

Antonio perked up and shared an equally stupid grin with the pirate. "Nope! They run on gasoline! I'm not entirely sure how that works but Lovi could probably explain it better than I could." Yeah, probably not. "Cars are really fast too, much faster than a carriage." Highly doubtful concerning your piece of shit car, Antonio. "Oh! Lovi's car is probably _really_ fast." You bet your ass it is. "It's so pretty and red and his is even named after his country and – "

"Yes, bastard, Ferraris are fucking amazing, now can we please just get ready to leave?" I griped, shifting my weight to the right and cocking my hip. "Also, open the garage so I can park my car." Antonio nodded and skipped off to do as I said, leaving España and Spain to stare at me.

"What?" I squeaked – I mean growled…yeah…anyways. "What are you looking at, bastards?" Spain just smirked at me and shrugged. España once again looked like he wanted to scold me for my language.

"Whatever, I've got to go park my damn car." I started to head out of the kitchen, planning to go upstairs and retrieve my keys from my room.

"Roma, can I watch?" I must have given him a perplexed look, "I mean, I want to see this…car for myself. Is it that thing sitting in front of the house? I was wondering what that was. Antonio was right, it is rather beautiful. Much like mi amante." I flushed from head to toe. Dammit, why did he have to say things like this?

"I-I suppose, b-bastard." I quickly left the room, leaving Spain in the kitchen. I took the stairs two at a time; I could already hear España arguing with Spain. I quickened my pace and ran into my room. I started searching the room thoroughly. Dammit, I always forget where I put these fucking things. I got down on my knees to search under the bed. Maybe they'd fallen down here. It wouldn't have been the first time. Antonio might have knocked them off when he fell of the bed this morning.

"**Lovi!**"

"FUCK!"

I smacked my head on the bottom of the bed as I jerked up. I slowly crawled out from under the bed, keys in one hand, and the bump forming on my head in the other.

"Don't sneak up on me, you bastard!" I yelled at Antonio, rubbing at the top of my head, and cursing every time I pressed too hard. "Fucking Hell, Antonio!" Dammit, I will not cry in front of him, it did not hurt that bad, dammit I will not – I cursed again as I felt a few tears beginning to form. "What do you want!"

"I-I'm so sorry, Lovi!" He darted to my side and dropped down onto his knees. "Here, let me look." He loosely gripped my wrist and pulled my hands away from my head. "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were under the bed, mi tomate." He pressed a soft kiss to the bump. "I'm really, _really_ sorry." He hugged me to his chest as he petted my hair. "Lo siento. Lo siento."

I sighed, there was no way I could stay mad at the bastard (okay, yes I could, but not right now) and I knew he was already punishing himself for this. "Yeah, yeah, shut up. I know you didn't do it on purpose…bastard." I mumbled, trying to slap his hands away when he moved to wipe the tears from my eyes. "Just tell me what you ran in here for."

"Oh, right." He scooped me up and set me down next to him on the bed. I probably should have bitched at him for picking me up without permission, but he already looked like a kicked puppy so there would be no point in making him feel worse. "Well, I wanted to tell you I'd opened to garage door." He wrapped his arms around me so tightly I was forced somewhat into his lap. "I really am sorry, Lovino." He mumbled into my hair.

"It-It's alright, ba-Antonio." I moved so that the top of my head wasn't pressing painfully into his chin. So what if it looked like I was snuggling closer? That sure as Hell wasn't what I was doing, dammit. It was just a coincidence that by moving out from under Antonio's chin I rested my head on his shoulder. And so what if I hugged back! I was just ensuring I didn't fall off his lap – not that I wanted to be there!

…

Yeah, well screw you! I don't need to explain myself, dammit.

I tightened the grip I had on Antonio's shirt before pulling away enough that I could look at him. "I've had worse, Antonio, so stop apologizing…I for…I forgive you." I stammered as quick as humanly, well nationly, possible, before burying my face back into his shoulder so he couldn't see my face heating up and I didn't have to see the stupid grin that lit up his face.

"Thank you, Lovi" He whispered, pulling me even closer so that I was now completely in his lap. "My cute little tomato." I rolled my eyes; bastard always did know how to ruin a moment. I sat up straight but he still refused to loosen his hold or let me off his lap.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm fucking adorable" Dammit, I'm glad Spain wasn't around to hear that, I know he'd have made that into a dirty joke. "Now let go, you and the others have to pack, and I need to park my car."

"Aww." He squeezed me. "Just a little longer, Lovi?" He pouted up at me, his chin rested on my sternum and his arms pulling me completely against him. I blushingly tried to ignore that such a move had shifted me so that I was straddling him now. I glared down at him as I gripped his shoulders afraid that should he let go (Unlikely, but it could happen if the bastard got distracted by something) I'd fall off the bed and land on my injured head. "With the other mes around I haven't been able to hug and cuddle you like I used to. They're always stealing your attention." He stuck out his lower lip. "I-I just miss you, Lovi." He lowered his head and pressed his face into my chest.

Dammit! Was today just 'make-Lovino-feel-like-the-worst-person-(nation)-in-the-world' day? Shit! I can't believe this, I actually want to-to hug that bastard back. Let's get one thing straight though, I only wanted to hug him so that he'd stop pouting. It's damn depressing.

"Al-alright, bastard – but just for a minute, got it!" I let my arms drape loosely around his shoulders and hesitantly dropped my head to rest on top of his, briefly struggling with the urge to nuzzle into his curls. Dammit, what the fuck is happening to me. Just a few weeks ago, the thought of letting Antonio hug me, much less me hug him, was repulsive…kind of.

"Mmm. This is nice, Lovi." He murmured softly, snuggling against me, his hands grasping the back of my shirt so he could drag me closer. Shit, if Spain or España walk in this room Antonio would soon be nothing more than a blood splatter on the wall and I'd either be thrown over España's shoulder as he looked for a safe place to lock me up, or thrown over Spain's shoulder as he looked for the nearest bed to screw me into. He tilted his head back up to smile at me. "Don't you think so?" He asked, completely oblivious to the danger he, and quite possibly my vital regions, were in.

"It's not horrible" I grumbled, looking anywhere but at him, my face heating up with a telltale blush. "You're still a bastard."

"Of course, Lovi" He chuckled, looking as if he were trying to smirk. The expression looked out of place when Antonio used it. "Ahh, you look like such a tomato right now!" He leaned up as if to get a closer look at the scarlet that was no doubt painting my face. His actions made me flush even harder which, no doubt, pleased him to no end.

"Sh-shut up, Antonio!" I whined, trying to lean away from his face, which kept growing closer despite my efforts.

"Oh! You called me Antonio again!" He nearly squeezed me to death now, moving me closer to him, our noses touching. His face was so close to mine I could practically feel the bright grin the threatened to split his face in two. "Ah, so cute, tan lindo, mi Lovi!" He squeezed his eyes shut, stupid grin still firmly in place, and rubbed his nose against mine.

"Did you seriously just give me an Eskimo kiss, bastard!" I once again tried to jerk away from him, spitting out curses as I did. Antonio's eyes popped open and gave me a surprised look; I stopped struggling in order to give him a proper glare.

His head cocked slightly to one side, confusion plain in those green eyes of his. Dammit, they're so fucking green. I stopped fidgeting, paralyzed under Antonio's stare, barely noticing as he angled his head up, his nose brushing against mine, and our foreheads touching. He still wore that confused look, but now his eyes were searching mine.

"An-Antonio?" W-what was he doing? He wasn't going to – he seriously wasn't about to do what I think – but I thought he only saw me as – there is no way this is happening! The tomato bastard is not trying to – to _kiss_ me…is he?

One of his hands released the grip it had on the back of my shirt and moved up to tangle itself in my hair, barely missing that certain curl. Spain continued to give me that intense stare, leaning ever closer, and I was sure he was going to take my first – I mean, umm…he was going to try and take a-a kiss from me.

He looked like he was going to do just that, and for some inexplicable reason I had the urge to close my eyes and just resign myself to the fact that the bastard was going to steal a kiss (I'd honestly thought Spain would be the first to steal a real kiss). I could feel his breath mingle with mine and I knew there was less than a second until our lips. He was about to move that final few centimeters or so when he suddenly blinked as if waking up from a trance. Before I even registered the change in Antonio's behavior, that dumbass grin was back on his face and he just gave me another Eskimo kiss before leaning away.

W-What!

What the fuck just happened?

His arms loosened around me. "Ah ha ha," his eyes shifted nervously, I'd never seen Antonio look so…conflicted. "Well – uh – I suppose I better go see if the others are getting r-ready to leave, shouldn't I." He carefully deposited me off his lap and onto the spot next to him, gave me one last odd searching look before making a hasty retreat out of the room.

Again.

What the fuck just happened?

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave a comment or something; it lets me know that someone, excluding myself, gives a shit about this story. Once again, I love you guys just about as much as Antonio loves Lovino. Also, as I've already told some people, I am planning on making a sequel if anyone is interested (just let me know).**


	9. Ch 8: Road Trip

**A/N:**

**Hello, my lovelies. Thank you all for you wonderful reviews: BAYBAY841, Catsdon'tcry, watergoddesskasey, QuantumMelody, Bookworm24601, animebaka14, APH1168kittens, Roxi2Star, AnnaSunshine77, Shacra_MoonFox31, ChibixNeko, KitsuneMagic48, NatD-LE, Airis_Hanamori, b4ndg33k, MapleLeafPianist, EmyKid, Allers3, Yuri_n'_Chuka, LeAwesome (fucking love your username), and Innovative Lucidity. From now on I'm going to try to respond to all of you. Sorry if I misspelled any of the names or left anyone out who reviewed on Chapter 7. **

**There was only one person I couldn't reply to because private messaging was turned off so, InnovativeLucidity – Thanks so much, it's fine that you've never reviewed before this, just the fact that you even reviewed made me squeal like I was a little school girl again. Yeah, I think it's really fun to write as Romano. Yes, Spain is so damn sexy (and he knows it). Don't worry, I think all of us have a thing for Pirate!Spain. Hope you enjoy this chapter, dear.**

**Also, thanks to those of you who have read this longest Author's note to date, but please continue reading. I have gone back and rewritten a small part of Chapter 7. Partly because one of you (cough*cough*b4ndg33k*cough*cough) requested more historical accuracy, and partly because even as I was writing it, it was pissing me off that I took the easy way out of explaining something even though I knew the history behind the war of Spanish Succession. So if you all are interested (it's not pivotal, probably won't reappear in later chapters) the conversation between the four of them at the breakfast table about Romano's unification with Veneziano has been changed. If there are any historical inaccuracies within that rewritten conversation please tell me. I was on cold medicine at the time so a lot of the time spent rewriting that part was a blur. Knowing me, I probably mixed a detail or two.**

**Anyways, without further ado, here is Chapter 8:**

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><p>"Fucking bastard. What the Hell was all that?" I slammed the door to my car (not too hard) and kicked Antonio's shitty Ibiza for extra measure. Even if such an action did hurt like a bitch. I stalked out of the garage and back into the house, steeling myself to round up the three bastards and herd them out and into the SEAT. I cast a final glare at said vehicle and one last longing glance at my Ferrari before stepping into the house.<p>

Spain came skidding around a corner, nearly bowling me over. "Aww, Roma, you said I could watch" He pouted, looking over my shoulder at the tomato red Ferrari Italia sitting just behind me. "You shouldn't tell lies, mi querido."

"Mi dispiace" I grumbled waving him off. "I forgot" I walked past him and into the kitchen so I could sink down into one of the chairs and wait for the others to show up. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Si" He answered softly before drifting into silence. He studied me for a few moments then began to take a few steps towards me. "What is wrong, mi cariño?" He sat down in the chair beside me. "I did not mean to upset you, Roma. If I did I am…sorry" Damn, he's probably never said that and meant it before.

I couldn't stop the tired sigh that escaped me. "You didn't do anything, pirate-bastard. Nothing's wrong. I'm just being my usual pissy self" I muttered bitterly.

"No, Roma. You never get angry without a reason. What is it? Did something happen?" His eyes flicked over me again before stopping at the noticeable bump on my head. "How did this happen, Roma!" He leaned forward, hands grabbing my sleeves, and an ankle hooking around the leg of my chair in order to pull it closer. "Did Antonio do this?" He growled, still more confused than angry.

"No. Antonio would never hurt me. He just startled me and I smacked my head against the bottom of my bed" I shrugged out from under his hands and refused to meet his concerned gaze.

"How did you manage that, Roma? What were you doing under your bed?" He pulled my chair closer and gently grasped my face so he could turn my head either which way as he studied the small bump.

"I was looking for my keys, it's not a big deal, now let go. I need to go find the other bastards" I once again pushed his hands away and went to stand.

"No. Stay here, Roma. I'll go get them. Si?" He leaned forward and kissed my temple. He walked to the refrigerator and I was about to yell at him that there was no way that the other would be in the fridge when he pulled out a bag of frozen corn. "Here, mi amorcito," He carefully pressed the frozen bag of vegetables to my head ", I'll be back soon" He leaned forward to press a kiss to the tip of my nose then sauntered out of the room.

I shook my head at his retreating back, but stay sitting with the frozen corn pressed to my head injury. Not long after I could hear voices upstairs and not much longer after that I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Antonio was the first to enter the room; his eyes refused to meet mine and he just walked back out of the kitchen after retrieving his keys from the hook. Seconds later I could hear the door out to the garage open and not long after the sound of the trunk opening and no doubt luggage being thrown in.

España entered next and the first thing his eyes locked onto was of course my injury. He kneeled in front of me and took my free hand in his. "Are you alright, Romano?" He reached up and took the somewhat less frozen bag of corn from me so he could inspect the wound.

"I'm fine, dammit! You all treat me like I'm still some small fragile colony. I've had worse than this! It's not a big deal" I snatched the frozen corn from him, rose to my feet and threw it back into the fridge. "Let's just go okay!" I stomped out of the room, Spain at my heels. España soon followed us.

"Did someone lock all the doors and windows?" España nodded. "Good then we're ready to go" I lead the two into the garage, past my beautiful Ferrari, dammit I was going to miss driving it, who knew how long it would be until I would get back here. I opened the door to the Ibiza and slid into shotgun, leaving Spain and España to sit in the back. Antonio offered me a timid smile before turning his attention back to the car and backing us out of the garage. I made sure to shut the garage door behind us.

As we pulled out of the driveway I looked back at Antonio's mason-house-thing. Why Antonio had this piece of shit car when he owned such a gi-fucking-gantic house I'll never know. I then turned my eyes towards the back seat; Spain had his hand pressed against the glass as he starred out, his eyes wide and fascinated. España on the other hand kept his gaze glued to the back of my seat, refusing to look out the window even as Spain nudged at him with his elbow and insisted he look. No, once again España was muttering about black magic and whispering a few prayers under his breath. Damn, I'd had no idea he'd be this freaked out.

"España," His head lifted and his eyes met mine. ", the car doesn't run on witchcraft or some other ridiculous shit. It's just a machine. Someone built it just like they built your ships, okay?" He slowly nodded. "So stop freaking out, you're supposed to be the brave one here" He looked shamed at this for a few moments before nodding and sitting up straight.

Spain leaned forward out of his seat. "Roma? How long will it take to get to your house from here?" He kept turning his gaze from me to the windows as if he couldn't see enough.

"About thirteen hours", I grumbled. "It's a damn long time to be stuck in a car with you three."

"That's really fast. Usually such a trip would take days, a fortnight even!" He once again began studying to interior of the car with awe.

I watched him as he leaned further out of his seat. "Put on your seatbelt, bastard. If the dumbass over here wrecks you'll go flying through the windshield."

"Put what on? And what's a wind shield?" He looked around for the mysterious seatbelt. I had the sudden urge to bang my head against the window. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

"That strap beside you with the metal hook thing is a seatbelt." I pulled mine slightly away from me in demonstration. Spain grabbed the end of the seatbelt starring at the end. "There should be a buckle next to you." He turned back to where he found the seatbelt. "Other side, dumbass." He looked around for a few moments and I was sorely tempted to just buckle him in myself when he made a triumphant sound and grabbed the buckle.

"Now what do I do, Roma?" España was watching the interaction, his seatbelt in hand as well now.

"Seriously?" I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You just push that metal end into the buckle. It's not that difficult!" Spain looked confusedly between the two pieces for a second before shoving them together. It took a few more tries but I finally hear the telltale click that signified Spain was securely buckled in place. "Congratulations, you just figured out how to do something even children can do. No don't lean to far forward or your seatbelt will lock you in place and you won't be able to move."

Spain grumbled a complaint but nodded. I heard a second click as España buckled his own seatbelt. I turned to check on Antonio, bastard sometimes forgot his seatbelt, even when I lectured him on how dangerous that was. He'd just coo at me and tell me how cute it was that I was worrying for "boss". As fucking if. It's not like countries could actually die from a car wreck. They still hurt like a motherfucker though. Antonio seemed to have learned this time since his seatbelt was locked firmly in place over his chest.

"Now, Roma, what is a windshield?" I looked back at Spain again.

I leaned slightly forward and knocked on the front window. "This is a windshield. Anymore questions?" He looked as if he was going to ask but I cut him off, "Keep them to yourself." I turned back around to face front wondering if I should turn on the radio and take the risk of España flipping shit and trying to rip out the radio.

"Roma" Spain purred. Shit. I didn't like that mischievous tone of voice. "Mi querido." I glared over my shoulder at him. He looked as if he was about to lean forward before remembering my warning of being locked in place.

"What?" His eyes trail over me and a smirk spread across his lips. "What are you think you sick bastard?" I pulled up the collar of my shirt self-consciously.

"Ah, nothing, mi amado. I was just thinking about how nice that shirt looks on you, but I can't help but think you must be uncomfortable with such a high collar." The smirk that then spread across his face was smugger than should be possible.

"Shut the fuck up, Spain." I hissed, turning back around in my seat and glaring out the windshield at the road ahead of us. Spain instead of taking offense just snickered. "Bastard." I added for extra measure.

Despite my warning that didn't stop Spain from raking his eyes over the hickeys he left on me, or rather, where the hickeys would be were the not covered up (for the most part), and making vague, but bordering on obscene comments about my neck. Forget this morning, nice words or no, I was going to have España brutally murder his counterpart first chance I got.

Speaking of España, the Conquistador was sitting almost perfectly still in his seat, casting the occasional glare at Spain, no doubt having caught on to what pirate had done. Either that or he was planning what to do to the pervert that "corrupted his innocent Romano", some crazy shit like that.

Antonio, as usual, was oblivious to it all. I still don't think he's realized what Spain was talking about. Instead he decided to ignore it all and chat with (or _at_ as the case may be) anyone in the car who would listen (So, mostly just me). Every once in a while he'd give me these awkward, uncertain looks. No doubt thinking about what the Hell had happened this morning. Even I'm not entirely sure, but if I know Antonio he'll forget all about it by the end of the day.

At least, I hoped he would…maybe.

**~kol~kol~kol~kol~Vodka~kol~kol~kol~kol**

We had been driving a little over five hours now, more if you count the time Antonio stopped for gas. I'll never forget the disturbed looks on the faces of those tourists when Spain leap out of the car like an excited child and closely studied every little thing Antonio did while filling the tank. One woman had quickly shooed her kids into her minivan, locked the doors and rolled up the windows. Other than that we hadn't stopped and if I didn't get out of this car in the next few minutes I was going to beat the shit out of someone; even if that did mean stopping in France. I didn't think I could wait until we crossed the border into Italy; that was still hours and hours away.

"Antonio," I ignored to tiny, delighted squeal he made at the use of his name, ", let's stop soon and get something to eat." Spain readily agreed, complaining about how his stomach had been growling for the past hour or so. Yeah, I know, Spain. I heard it you, bastard. España had yet to complain, but his stomach had also started to growl not too long ago.

Antonio pulled over at the next exit into this city-thing, Brignoles. If it wasn't for the fact that it was in France I might have thought that the little city was beautiful since it overlooked the coastline, but as I said, it was in that fuckface's territory. Antonio eventually stopped near what look like a little family owned restaurant.

The overhanging was a bright yellow with as equally bright blue letters spelling out: _Restaurant Lou Cigaloun_. The front door and window was the same color of royal blue; as were the shutters on what appeared to be a second floor. There was an arch leading to a semi-dark alleyway beside it that. Even though we had just walked under it after parking just further down the street España still made sure to keep me steered clear of unless he was close by. Sure the place next to it had a hot pink overhanging but a restaurant that had well-maintained potted plants in and outside couldn't have been all bad…then again, this was France.

Now walking in I had expecting things to be blue like the front had, so I was somewhat surprised when the inside was a painted in whites and yellows while the table clothes were an odd orange color. There were numerous tables, all of them able to seat four excluding the table nearest the fire place which looked like it could seat eight. Moldings were on the top and bottom of the wall and a fireplace of to the side. A bar sat along the wall perpendicular to it. Besides the out of place, modern-looking, light fixtures, placed at what seemed like random intervals, were decorative moldings. Or at least, I think they were supposed to be decorative. There was one of a little orange and black lizard and another of what looked like a fly sitting on grapes…I'll never understand French people. But that's probably a good thing. The only decoration that made sense was a molding of yellow leaves along the center of one of the walls.

We must have looked like an odd group. There weren't that many people there, we'd just missed the lunch rush, assuming this place ever experienced a lunch rush, so besides the waitress there was only one couple sitting off to the side to stare at the somewhat-short (it's not that I'm short, those bastards are just really tall), pouting Italian, and the three nearly identical Spaniards that had just walked in.

"Bon jour, " I'm sure the waitress said more after that, but I'll be honest and say I tuned her out. It's not that I hate French people, it's just I know their nation is a perverted bastard, so I can't trust any of them. Not a single one of them. Either way after giving us some sort of greeting and bringing us to our table she left with promises to return with menus or something. Once again, I tuned her out.

I slumped down into the seat closest to the wall so I could make sure no French perverts could sneak up on me. Spain, as expected, dropped down into the seat closest to me, before scooting it even closer so he could drape an arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off a couple of times, but after he replaced it the third time I figured the bastard just wasn't going to give up so I let it be. España sat in the seat across from me, eyes sweeping around the room a few times, studying the couple sitting at the other side of the room suspiciously. Antonio practically jumped into the seat on my other side and grinned at me.

"Lovi, isn't this place nice?" I shrugged noncommittally. "I went here once with Francis and Gilbert, but that was a while ago. I thought you might like it even if it is a little out of the way" He leaned forward, arms ready to wrap around me and no doubt yank me into a hug, but at the last second he flinched and backed away.

"Yeah, sure. What did our waitress want?" I grumbled; too busy wondering why I hadn't tried to flirt with the woman to care why Antonio was acting so weird. I'm Italian dammit, I always take the chance to flirt with pretty women…something must be wrong with me today. Then again, Spain might have gotten all possessive and done something to warrant our arrest, and probably alert France to our presence here. Fuck. I hadn't even thought of that. What if France showed up? Shit, there would be no way I could explain the three to him.

"Oh, uh, not much. She said she'd be back with menus. Mostly, she just wanted to know if we were triplets or they were my younger brothers." He said, nodding towards his doubles. "I told her they were my younger brothers." That made more sense than saying they were triplets. Even though they looked almost exactly the same, Spain and España looked a few years younger than Antonio.

"Hey, Lovi." I looked back up at him, ignoring the way Spain's arm tightened around my shoulders. "Do you want me to order for you? I know you don't read French very well," or at all, since I'd refused to learn anything that had to do with the fuck-face and his country. ", and since France is my friend I know enough to order – "

"That's fine, Antonio." I grumbled, stopping him before he gave me a headache. I'm use to Antonio rambling, but never like this. He sounded nervous, as if expecting me to lash out and start spitting curses at him. I suppose that's entirely possible, that happens at least once a day when I'm around Antonio, but he had never taken my threats seriously or been worried about me reacting violently.

I'm not sure what I ended up eating, it tasted alright. I'm not even sure what it was called, I hadn't been able to understand a single word when Antonio had ordered. What I did know was that the bread in the basket the waitress brought us as we waited for our lunch was the shit. _Damn_. Don't get me wrong, I hate France, but that bread was kickass.

Throughout the meal I had to constantly deflect Spain's wandering hands, España would stare at me from his seat opposite me, occasionally looking behind him as if expecting an attack. Antonio would go from bright happy grins and mindless chatter to quiet stares and perplexed frowns. At one point he muttered to himself something about "just friendly affection" and "we're just really good friends" some shit like that and afterwards seemed completely back to normal, awkward glances completely forgotten. I probably should have asked what the fuck he was talking about, but then he would tell me, no doubt by extensive ramble, and why would I want that?

I grudgingly returned to the car, opting to sit in the back seat so I could at least attempt to take a nap. España forced Spain to sit up front so the pervert couldn't molest me in my sleep. Spain didn't object all too much, even after five hours of being stuck together in here he was still fascinated by the modern vehicle. Antonio was left inside to pay, as usual…damn, maybe that's why most nations think Antonio and I are a couple. I should probably pay for myself from now on, despite that bastard's insistence. Then again, I've never been able to turn down a free meal, so who gives a shit what the other nations think.

Antonio practically skipped around the corner, under the archway and then across the street to where we were parked (idiot of course didn't look both ways when he reached the crossroads). He glared briefly as he slid into the driver's seat, having spotted Spain in the front, but he was soon smiling again and telling me stupid stories about other places he, France and Prussia have gone. Not that he had to tell me, I had been dragged along quite a few times, and the times I hadn't Antonio would usually show up at my house drunk, or call me late at night to slur and babble about how much he loved/missed me. I usually hung up after a few minutes with a, "Call me in the morning, you ass!"

"Lovi, do you remember the time we went Las Fallas?" I tried to force down the blush that came with the memory of that particular festival. It's not like Antonio and I go to a lot of festivals together, but dammit, there were plenty to choose from, why did he have to mention that one? I thought we were never going to talk about that day again…well, at least I had told him we were not to talk about that day ever again. Not ever.

"Of course I do, bastard. It was last spring." I looked out the window, hoping they wouldn't look too closely at me, I could feel my face heating up, and I was most likely pink by now.

Dammit, as if the loud noise of the fireworks hadn't been painful enough, the other people at the festival had thought Antonio and I were a couple and Antonio, like the clueless bastard he is, had refused to let go of my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. That had been so damn embarrassing I'd wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I would have done so, but every time I'd tried to leave, either the crowd would be too thick for me to make a quick getaway or Antonio would pull me into a hug as he told me how cute I was.

It had only been made worse when France and Prussia showed up, I'm still not sure who had invited those assholes (probably Antonio, although he denies it to this day), and started to make lewd jokes that Antonio hadn't understood, but left me the tomato red Antonio likes so much. The fireworks had drowned out half of what they said, but that didn't stop them. I'm not even sure how they had managed to find which part of the city we were in, much less which roof we were on since Valencia is packed during Las Fallas.

"That was fun, Lovi. OH! Can we go together this year too?" Fuck, no! That was not happening. No way. No how. The first time had been humiliating enough, the second time was bound to be permanently scarring. Plus, my ears were still ringing.

"No! You'll just invite those bastard friends of yours again, so go with them!" Antonio pouted. Of course he did. Antonio always pouts when he doesn't get his way and like the blushing idiot I am I usually give in if he pouts enough. Not this time though. "No. Pouting won't work this time, tomato bastard!"

"But, Lovi! I didn't invite them" He whined, sticking his lower lip out further and giving me those damn puppy eyes in the rearview mirror. No, it's not going to work! "Lovi, I don't know how they knew we were there. I invited you because I wanted to spend time with mi tomate and _just_ mi tomate. I even told them to leave, remember?" Yeah, I remembered, France had then proceeded to ask if Antonio was planning to do something…dirty to me and, 'can I watch, honhonhon'…damn fuck-face.

"Just pay attention to the road, dumbass. Besides Las Fallas isn't for a few more months still. Why are you asking me now?" Antonio merely shrugged, offered me a happy close mouthed smile, and then focused completely on driving, humming to himself.

I tried to focus on the passing scenery but quickly grew bored and ended up staring at the back of Antonio's head. Despite Spain's loud, excited inquires about the car I could feel myself begin to drift off. I yawned once and knew I was done for. My eyes started slipping closed and I had to suppress a second yawn. I heard the click of a seat belt, then felt España shift into the seat beside me. Not long after I heard a second click, an arm wrapped around me and my head came to rest on his shoulder. I probably should have bitched him out but I'd already missed my siesta so I just let it slide. Last thing I heard was the two idiots in the front seat arguing about how cute vs. beautiful I was when I was asleep. Assholes.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks again to all of you. The places I mentioned in this story are real (Lou Cigaloun and Las Fallas) and I did as much research as I could to make things accurate. Still, I've never been to France much less Brignoles nor have I gone to Valencia to attend Las Fallas, so if there's anything wrong, just tell me, it won't hurt my feelings I promise. **

**Those of you out there who have expressed your love about the fluff in this story will hopefully be overjoyed at the next part - **_**Chapter 9: Thunder, Lightning, and Snuggles.**_** Well, that is all, until next Thursday, my darlings.**


	10. Ch 9: Lightning, Thunder, and Snuggles

_**A/N:**_

**Thanks to my readers. You guys are awesome. Once more, thanks to those of you who left comments: Catsdon'tcry, watergoddesskasey, Yuri_n'_Chuka, KitsuneMagic48, LeAwesome, AirisHanamori, Bookworm24601, AshMeowsYaoi, b4ndg33k, MapleLeafPianist.**

**In this chapter there are parts where the dialogue is italicized. You'll no doubt figure out why while you're reading. Well, that's all I have to say, enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"Let me carry him, España!" "No, you'll leave even more marks on him." "No I wouldn't! It's no fun to tease Roma if he isn't awake. Besides, but you don't know where his room is, amigo." "Neither do you." I was jostled a bit as arms tightened around me.<p>

"Enough. I'll carry Lovi." "But you'll drop - " "I will _not_ drop my Lovi. Plus, I'm the only one who knows where his room is." I was shifted again, this time the arms around me were not as tight and were warmer. "I'll go put him to bed and then show you two where you can sleep. Si?"

"But I want to sleep with my little Roma." "Not happening!" "Don't tell me you don't want to sleep with him too, España. I know you do." "That's beside the point – " "Oh, I see. You just want him all to yourself." "Better me than you, you promiscuous, immoral -" "Immoral? Hey! Who was the one who slaughtered hundreds of thousands of natives in the New World? Oh right, that would be you" "You've raped hundreds of women and – " "I never raped anyone! I can assure you they were all quite _willing_. And it wasn't hundreds, nor were there that many _women_." "You're a sick pervert. I'm going to do my best to keep my innocent Romano away from you."

The voices grew dimmer and I realized either the arguers were moving away or I was being carried away. I tried to open my eyes to see what was going on, but my eyelids were too heavy. Where was I? Who was carrying me? Dammit, last thing I remember was being stuck in a small car with those three tomato bastards – oh. That probably meant I was home.

I once again attempted to open my eyes. I was positive that it was one of said tomato bastards carrying me through the house and judging by the previous arguments, it was Antonio. My eyes stung at the sudden fluorescent lights and I could only open them halfway without being blinded. My vision was blurry and when I rolled my head to the side to look at the bastard carrying me he was a fuzzy blob of caramel and chocolate. The flash of emerald green reassured me it was the tomato bastard and not some random half-a-countrynapper.

"An…Tonio?" I couldn't keep my head up and it rolled back to nestle against his neck. "We a m…ma how-house?" He snickered, a half-whispered 'cute' leaving his lips, as he nuzzled the top of my head.

"Si, Lovinito." His grip tightened and I had to wrap my arms around his shoulders as he started going up the steps. "Hold on tight, okay? I don't want to drop you." I nodded sluggishly, my cheek brushing his throat. I felt him shiver and wondered if it was too cold in my house. It didn't feel cold to me, but then again I had a perpetually hot – hot as in temperature wise, dammit – Spaniard carrying me.

"S-sh-sure, An-ant...Tonio" My fingers gripped the back of his shirt. "How you get in tha house?" Mmm, he was so warm. Has he always been _this_ warm? And when did his hair become this soft? I pressed closer, burying my face into his shoulder. There was another shiver as I exhaled; Antonio grew even warmer. The warmth was quickly lulling me back to sleep.

"You gave me a key a few weeks ago, L-Lovi. Remember? So I wouldn't keep climbing in through the window when you wouldn't answer the door." Oh right. Creepy bastard. The few neighbors I had, had thought that Antonio was either: a robber, a stalker, or my lover. I'm not sure why they thought that last one. If I had a lover, he – I mean _she_! – wouldn't have to sneak in. Just like Antonio, they would obviously have a k…key

…

**Shit**! I hadn't even though what giving Antonio a key would look like! Dammit, what did my neighbors think?

My eyes fully opened at the thought and I struggled weakly (I sure as Hell didn't want to be dropped) to get out of Antonio's arms. "Dammit, bastard. Put me down! I can walk there by myself. You should go get those other bastards before they break something."

"No, Lovi. You're tired. Last time this happened and you convinced me to put you down, you tripped and cut open your palm on a dresser" His hold constricted further, not painfully so, but tight enough that I wouldn't be able to escape.

"Dammit, don't make it sound like this happens all the time, bastard. The only time you have to carry me is if you and your bastard friends force me to go out with you-with them. You assholes stay out _way_ too late. Besides, I didn't want your drunk ass carrying me. You smelled like that cheap beer Prussia likes and you were about to drop me at any second!"

"I would _never_ ever drop you, Lovi" He promised. Yeah, like I'm going to believe that. Sure, no matter how drunk he, or I, or both of us were (Not that I really drank when I was out with Antonio and his friends because I was afraid France would rape me in my inebriated state, but it every once in a while it'd happen…not the raped by France part praise God). Anyways, no matter how drunk any combination of the two of us was, he had yet to drop me – but I wasn't taking any chances.

…

Next time. Right now, Anto – the tomato bastard was probably right. I could barely keep my eyes from sliding shut, so it was doubtful I'd be able to walk all the way to my room or get into my bed. If by some miracle I did make it to my room, I would probably face plant it on the floorboards just beside my bed and just not be able to bring myself to care enough to pull myself up onto the bed and crawl under the covers.

Antonio used his back to push open my bedroom door, careful not to bump my feet or hit my head off the doorframe. "See, almost there, Lovi. I told you I wouldn't drop you." We're not there yet, bastard. I thought of telling him, but didn't want to tempt fate. "Here, I'm going to set you down." I'm not sure how he did it, I guess I will always underestimate Antonio's strength, (it's either that or I need to put on some weight) but he somehow managed to hold me up with just the arm under my knees and his opposite shoulder as he pulled back the green and white duvet. The sheets were pulled back next and I was slowly lowered onto the mattress.

My arms locked around his neck as my back touched the bed, almost pulling him in after me. "Mi dispiace" I quickly muttered; my mind was still hazy and the sudden shift had startled me.

Antonio leaned over me, one hand pressed into the sheets just beside my head, having quickly caught his weight so that he didn't land on me. The other hand was still trapped between my back and the bed. "I didn't mean to – "

"It-It's alright, Lovi" He chuckled nervously, trying to look anywhere but at me as he slid his arm out from under me. "It's my f-fault. I put you down too fast" He finally got his arm free but stayed where he was, suspended over me, both arms now propping him up; one to either side of my head.

I quickly started spluttering my apologies when I noticed it was my arms still trapping him there, still locked behind his neck, keeping him from moving away. I dropped my arms to my side as fast as I could, but then jerked them away again when they came to rest on his arms. Son of a bitch! Today just kept getting bett-more awkward by the moment.

"Its fine, mi Lovinito" He moved back so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, the one arm still stretched over me, his hand resting by my hip. He took my hand in his. "I'll be back later, si? I'm going to go find a place for me and the others to sleep."

"Well, there's the room you claimed whenever you drop by unexpectedly" That drew a snicker from Antonio. "Then there's the room Feliciano has declared his whenever he visits, as rare as that is anymore" I murmured, Antonio squeezed my hand in response. "You'll have to warn whoever takes that room. Feli keeps sneaking pictures of that fugly mach potato in there. Might give whoever's stuck in there nightmares. Just the thought that there's a picture of that potato bastard in my house gives me nightmares" Antonio actually laughed at this. It had been a while since I had heard him laugh. Really laugh. It caught me unaware and I was unable to prevent the little smile it caused. Shit, at least Antonio hadn't seen it.

"Alright, well, where can I sleep, Lovi?" I thought about telling him he could sleep in the third guest bedroom. I don't think anyone had actually slept in there yet. I'd actually been thinking of turning it into an office. I could tell Antonio he had to sleep on the couch, you know, if I wanted to be even more of an ass than usual.

"As long as you don't do anything weird, you can sleep here, bast…Antonio" His eyes widened and for some reason a blush started to spread across the bridge of his nose, reaching the tip of his ears. The blush quickly faded as if it had never been there and he beamed at me.

"Thank you, Lovi!" He practically dropped forward to squeeze me in a tight embrace. "Thank you! I'll be back real soon" A warm kiss was pressed to my cheek before Antonio darted from the room, leaving me to curse and shake my fist at his retreating back.

I grumbled to myself as I curled up on my side, facing the door, determined to give Antonio an earful when he returned, but I fell asleep to the sound of Antonio's footsteps as the thundered back down the stairs.

**~aru~aru~aru~Shinatty~aru~aru~aru~**

_No one will ever love you_ A voice growled, rumbling like thunder. _You know that, don't you, Romano._ I tried to back away. I had yet to see the man's face, but I had heard that voice many times during my childhood. _That's why I picked Feliciano over you_. Light briefly flashed, almost blinding me in its intensity, only present long enough for me to see a pair of brown eyes before the figure was once again shroud by the darkness. _That's why __**everyone**__ picked Feliciano over you._

"But Antonio – ."

_Antonio is it now? What happened to 'bastard' or 'dumbass'?_ The voice grew louder as the man approached, his footsteps booming, louder than any step should or could be. _Do you honestly believe he loves you? That he cares for __**you**__? _The laugh that followed was cruel. Light flashed a second time, this time revealing a glimpse of unruly auburn hair, not unlike my own, and white teeth bared in a sneer.

"He has told me that - "

_Told you that he what? That he loved you? _He scoffed._ And you believe him? _Snickers echoed around the empty space, growing louder by the second, crescendoing to the point I had to cover my ears. Light silhouetted the tall, broad shouldered man for a handful of second before it sputtered out once more. _The only reason he or __**anyone**__ would keep you around would be to get to your younger brother._ He whispered in my ear, strong hands grabbing my shoulders and trapping me in place.

_Tell me, Romano, mio nipote, do you love Antonio? _I flinched. _Of course you do, you wouldn't let him as close as you do if you didn't. Now tell me, nipote, how does it feel to know he will __**never**__ love you back?_

"I – I don't love Antonio."

_You can not fool me, Romano. Perhaps he might love you back if you were nicer. More like Feliciano. Maybe if you didn't call him a bastard so often he might have told you he loved you by now_. More light streaked across the room giving me a clear view of the tanned skin and smirking lips. _Many people might have loved you were you more like my cute little Feli_.

"Shut up! You don't know anything. In case you forgot," I jerked my arms out from under his hands ", you left me behind, nonno!"

_That I did, and it was the best decision I ever made_. I backed away from him. _I only feel bad that Antonio had to deal with you for so long. You were such a useless child. You ended up making more mess for Antonio to clean up than you actually helped him._ I took a few more steps away from him.

"I told you to shut up!" Shit. Those words still stung, even though I knew they weren't true. Or, at least I know most of them weren't true. I hoped…but what if…

"Fuck you! España told me he loves me! He told me that even if I did screw up, he still cared for me! I don't have to listen to this!" I turned my back on him and walked away.

He followed at his own pace, his footsteps once again earthshaking. _You cannot run from the truth, nipote_._ You know as well as I do that it's true. Mr. Austria didn't want you. Antonio tried to trade you. Or had you forgotten?_ I froze in place, unable to take another step. Light cast his shadow on the floor, flickering as he approached. _And who did he try to trade you for?_

"…Feli" I whispered.

_I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch that. __**Who**__ did he try to trade you for, Romano?_

"Feliciano!" I snapped. "He tried to fucking trade me for Feliciano! That is in the past though! He told me he was sorry! He told me that he never meant to hurt me! He – "

_No, Romano_._ The only reason he keeps you around is because he wants your body. If he can't have Feliciano, who better to have than his brother? The brother who could pass for his twin._

"Go back to Hell, old man!" I did what I do best. I ran before he could make another grab for me. My eyes were stinging now. Shit, I will not cry in front of him.

"No, it's not true. It can't be true!" I ran faster, not paying attention to where I was going, not that the path was really visible anyways. I slammed into what felt like a solid brick wall. I would have fallen on my ass had arms not encircled my waist and drawn me back against that obstacle.

_What is not true, my Lovi?_ Light flickered with a loud crash. Warm green eyes flickered back. _Why are you yelling, mi amor?_

I starred up at Antonio, mouth agape. "W-what did you call me?" A rumbling purr echoed through his chest, the feel of it made me shiver. The light shone again, lighting up his eyes. This time they were darker. They looked sort of like they did whenever Spain was staring at me. A tremble traveled up my spine. Who was this? He looked like Antonio, he sounded like Spain, but he didn't act like either of them.

_Mi amor_. He rolled the r into the tip of my ear. _I called you mi amor_._ Is that not what you wanted, Lovino? Do you not want me to love you?_ The previously predatory grin turned dark and dangerous in the newest flash of light. _I cannot honestly say I love you, but I will convince you of such if you want, my love. You may not be my lovely Feli, but you look close enough. It will not be difficult to pretend as long as you keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut. Or rather, if you keep it…occupied_.

"But – I – you said that – I don't understand." I pushed against him, trying to keep the wandering hands and the curious lips off my skin. "Antonio, I – "

_What is it that you don't understand? That I never loved you? That I lied?_ His hand trailed slowly down my back, the other sliding up to card in my hair with false tenderness._ Why is that so hard for you to believe, Lovino?_ The hand in my hair tangled viscously and yanked back, exposing my neck to him. My hands automatically flew to his wrists, trying to pry him off. This of course meant I was no longer pushing him away so he forced himself against me. The hand in my hair continued to pull, the pain causing tears to leak out against my stubborn will.

_Or is it that hard to accept that no one, not even your caretaker, your best friend, your __**beloved**__ would prefer you over you innocent little brother?_ Lips dragged across my throat as if searching until finally blunt teeth found their mark and sank in.

"**NO!**" I tried to pull away, the feeling of blood already welling up and rolling down my skin. Spain's bites hadn't been this painful. Then again Spain's bites didn't have the intention of bringing pain, and none of them had drawn even the tiniest droplet of blood. Antonio let go and leaned slightly back, his grip forcing my head even further back in order to study his handiwork, much as Spain had not too long ago. The look was different though. Spain had looked on the marks with pride and desire. This jackass looked on with twisted glee and sick lust.

The hand in my hair finally let go, but before I could release a sigh of relief, the hand was grasping me by the jaw; nails digging into the flesh of my cheeks and palm pressing into my Adam's apple, hard enough that it was becoming a difficulty to breathe. All of this was agonizing, but none of it was as excruciating as Antonio's words.

_I hate you._

"No, you can't mean that."

"Lovi."

"Antonio, please. Don't hate me! Please! I – "

_You what?_ The hands dropped to grip my upper arms. _Would you prefer I continue with the lies?_

"No. No no no no no!" I whimpered, trying to squirm out of his hands.

"Lovino."

_Alright then. _He once again moved so that his lips were next to my ear. _Te amo, mi pobrecito_. His lips pressed soft kisses to my ear. _Is that what you want to hear?_ He bit sharply into the shell of my ear and once more I could feel the shedding of blood. _Te amo_. He cackled darkly.

"No! Let go of me, you bastard!" I jerked left to right, trying to get free. "Stop. It hurts!"

"Lovino!"

_Let go? But this is what you wanted!_ Blood smeared kisses trailed up my shoulders to my jaw. I squeezed my eyes shut against them, my stomach rolling in protest. _Would you like me to say it again? _A third ripping bite was made on the column of my neck. _Te amo_.

"Ah. No, please" I begged, trembling as his touch.

"Lovino Vargas!"

He shook me again and when my eyes opened, intense green stared back. I did the first thing I could think of to get away; I slammed my forehead into the bridge of his nose. As he reeled back I wriggled away from him, expecting to hear snarled curses and violent threats.

My hands became tangled in sheets as I tried to crawl away. It was this combined with the moans of pain that brought me back to my senses. "Lovi, what-ow-what's wrong?" My head whipped back around to face the speaker.

Antonio was staring at me with worry, his hand pressed to his nose and blood dripping down his hand from between his fingers. Lightning lit up the room and the terrible flash of scarlet made me realize where I was.

"Oh God, Antonio, I'm sorry!" I launched myself at him, winding my arms around him as I hide my face against his chest. This was probably not the best idea since I no doubt made the nose injury worse, assuming I hadn't already broken his nose. "It was horrible!" I sobbed. "Please, please, _please_, don't hate me, Antonio!"

His arms were quick to wrap around me. I almost started to thrash again, panicked that I was back in that horrid nightmare. The arms were gentle though, and warm, and they cradled me as if I were something precious, something to be protected, completely disregarding his quite possibly broken nose in favor of comforting me.

"Never, Lovi. I have never, will never, and could never hate you." He peppered my forehead and temples with kisses. "Besides you've done worse than this before. Did you think I would hate you for something like a broken nose? I don't think it's even broken." He declared, removing one of his arms from my waist so he could gingerly press at his nose. He flinched a little, but nothing really looked out of place and the bridge of his nose was only slightly swollen. "Nope, not broken." He grinned as he cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs swiping away the tear tracks. "Here, let me just go clean up."

He started to move away and I had just let him go when thunder crashed through the room. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him back to me. "Antonio, please don't go" I whispered, I'm going to hate myself tomorrow but right now I couldn't let him go. I never could during a thunderstorm.

"Alright, Lovi." Arms slid under my knees and another arm around my shoulders. I tried not to squeak as he lifted me off the bed. "I suppose you're coming with me then" He teased as he carried me towards the attached bathroom. I really _should_ yell at him for princess carrying me so often. He walked in the open door, flipped on the light switch with an elbow and set me down on the counter. He then turned on the sink faucet so he could wet the washcloth I handed him.

"Well, it doesn't look too bad," He laughed. "I suppose we're even now, huh, Lovi. That reminds me, how is your forehead?" He turned to me his eyes first settling one the almost non-existent bump on my head before drifting down to my lips. Oh God, this isn't going to be like this morning is it?

His eyes widened and his threw the used washrag into the laundry basket before search the cabinets. I was about to demand to know what he was doing when he stood back up with a second washcloth. With rushed movements he soaked the new washcloth under the faucet then rung it out. Once more I was going to ask what was wrong; his nose didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. He pressed the damp rag to my lower lip.

"Lovi, how did you manage this?" He whispered; gentle hands, one tilting up my face at a better angle, and the other dabbing at my lower lip with the washrag. I winced as I finally registered the pain that his actions were causing. "Did you do this while you were having a nightmare, Lovi?"

"How the fuck should I know? I was asleep, dammit. Besides, I didn't know it was there till you pointed it out. Ow-dammit. Bastard, be more careful." He dropped the second rag into the sink, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. The action caused me to flush up to my ears so I pushed him away quickly, turning around to look in the mirror for myself, twisting at my waist.

There were dark circles under my eyes and I was unusually pale, hopefully sleep would take care of that. That damn curl of mine was all frazzled and twisted. What stuck out the most was the split lower lip, which was already scabbing up. Damn, I must have bitten myself during the dream. At least I hadn't bitten completely through it.

"You always manage to hurt yourself, mi tomate" Antonio murmured, pressing close once again and turning my head back around so he could study the injury. "Want me to kiss it better?" If it were possible my face would have exploded with the sudden rush of blood. The look he was giving me, head titled inquisitively to one side, was innocent and concerned, bastard didn't know what he was suggesting. How could one man be so fucking clueless?

"Fuck no, you asshole!" I shrieked, attempting to hop off of the sink counter. "I do not want you to kiss anything, you got that?" His face had just turned a bright red as he finally registered what he just asked when I successfully managed to push myself off the sink. I'm not sure what happened after that, but one moment my hand was gripping the door knob, ready to slam it behind me and keep the dumbass away from me; the next moment I was clinging to him, my whole body trembling. Dammit, it was just loud noise and bright flashes, why did this terrify me so much.

"Shh, Lovi. It's alright." Arms once again curled around me, enveloping me in warmth. "Come on, let's get back in bed." He attempted to scoop me up again, and I was sorely tempted to run away and dive under the covers by myself when lighting flooded the room and I practically leapt up into his arms. He wisely chose to cover his snickers with a cough.

"Just so you know, bastard. I'm not letting you carry me because I want you to. Go it?" Shit if that made any sense. Once again Antonio made a wise decision and just nodded his understanding. He carried me back into the bedroom, my fingers digging into him every time thunder would rip through the house. He'd probably have a bruise or two tomorrow. He carefully lowered me onto my side of the bed before curling up on his side. Wait…forget what I just said! Antonio does _not_ have a set side in my bed! The whole thing is mine dammit!

I ordered myself to stay on my side of the bed and not curl up to the Spaniard, but every time the lightning would flash and the thunder would follow more quickly than the time before, I found myself inching closer to him. Antonio finally took the decision from me and shifted into my space so he could curl around me, much like he would when I was small; protecting me from the storm.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" He mumbled into the top of my head, arms pulling me against his chest and my face to burry into the hollow of his throat. His hand cupped the back of my head, fingers tangled in my hair. I tried not to yank away from him as the action brought back memories of the dream Antonio. The grip was in no way painful and I was quickly relaxing into the touch. His other arm coiled around my back, holding me tight, but not so tight that I could not escape should I actually want to.

"N-no." I whispered, lips brushing the skin of his neck, "It was…it was nothing." I gripped the front of his shirt and shook my head. "Damn thunder was messing with my dreams is all. Besides, I've had that nightmare before, it's nothing new."

I could feel Antonio lift his head so he could look down at me. "Do you have nightmares a lot, Lovino?"

_Yes_

"No. Just every once in a while" Another loud boom had me pressed flush again him, fingers buried into the back of his shirt. "They're not bad. I swear."

_No, they're not bad. They're horrible_

Antonio made a distrusting hum in the back of his throat; I could feel the vibrations against my nose. "You _can_ talk to me about them, Lovi. I don't want anything to be upsetting you. Perhaps if you talk about it, they will not be so scary, si?"

_No, I don't want to know if it's true_

"It's nothing, Antonio. Please, can we just go to sleep?" I tilted my head up and gave him the best pout I could manage with a split lip. It worked just like it did every time I stuck out my lower lip or bat my eyelashes at the bastard.

"Okay." He grumbled, nose nuzzling back into my hair. "If you change your mind, I will be here, mi tomate." He snuggled up to me, completely ignoring that he was still in the jeans and T-shirt he wore throughout the day.

I tugged up on his t-shirt, ignoring the blush that wanted to make itself known on my cheeks. "At least go put sleep clothes on, bastard. Those jeans can't be comfortable."

He shrugged. "I'm fine, mi Lovinito. I don't want to leave you alone when you're scared." Dammit. Sweet fucking bastard.

"I think I'll be fine for the time it takes for you to change, bastard. Just don't take too long. Besides, I don't want to listen to you whine tomorrow about how uncomfortable you are, nor do I want to have to smell you." He chuckled as he disentangled himself from me.

"If you say so, mi tomato." He rolled out of the bed, pulling the T-shirt up over his head, his back flexing with the movement, as he headed towards the bags by the door. He must have put them there after he returned; they looked as if they'd been thrown haphazardly to the side as soon as he entered the room. I turned to face the other way as the shameless bastard started to unbutton his jeans.

_Please hurry_

I curled in on myself, hugging my knees to my chest, shaking now that the thunder was close enough and loud enough to physically move my clothes. I was trying to keep from flinging myself out of the bed when the other side sank down beneath Antonio's weight. Arms once more looped around me and I was waiting to be pulled back into another embrace but was instead lifted into a sitting position.

I tried to turn a glare at Antonio but the tomato bastard grabbed a hold on the bottom of my shirt and lifted it over my head. When the shirt no longer blocked my sight I noticed the pile of my clothes beside him. "You should probably change to, Lovi."

"I can do that myself, bastard." I growled yanking the new shirt from him and quickly yanking it down in place, taking the moment the shirt covered my face to control my blush. I snatched up the sleep pants and stumbled out of bed. "Look away, dammit." I snarled as I was undoing my own pants. I quickly shimmied into my sleep pants and threw my old clothes in the general direction of the bathroom. I dove under the covers, forgetting my hesitation in order to cuddle up to Antonio, flinching as my face pressed into warm skin; Antonio never did wear shirts when he slept.

I snuggled closer regardless, feeling Antonio chest move as he snickered at me. "Goodnight, my cute little Lovino." He murmured, tangling us together once again. He pressed a kiss to my hair, as arms cradled my back and fingers traced patterns along my spine. "I love you."

My heart squeezed and exploded all at the same time from those words and I couldn't stop myself from holding onto him even tighter, fingers practically digging into his shoulder blades as I prayed that he was telling the truth.

_Ti amo troppo_

"Goodnight, Antonio."

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter is pretty freaking long so I might divide it into two sections. If that happens I'll upload Part 1 on Thursday (as usual) and Part 2 on Friday.**

**Don't forget to leave a comment. Comments bring joy and rainbows and glitter and all sorts of happy shit to my life. Leave suggestions; I've already gotten some pretty good ideas from some of you guys and I'd love to hear what you want to see (You know, besides smut. That will come in due time).**


	11. Ch 10: A RunIn With Turkey

**A/N:**

**No creative line breaks this time, there were just too many in this chapter. Speaking of this chapter, this damn thing is around twenty-one pages long, and ten-thousand words. I don't think I've **_**ever**_** written a chapter this long and I hope not to again. At least not anytime soon.**

**Well, now that that's out of the way, I would like to thank all of my readers, subscribers, and reviews. Thanks to: Bre lolli, ****watergoddesskasey****, ****NatD-LE****, ****BAYBAY841****, ****lunynha****, ****Bookworm24601****, ****xnicehopex****, ****LeAwesome****, ****AnnaSunshine77****, ****KitsuneMagic48****, ****Catsdon'tcry****, ****Airis Hanamori****, ****Yuri n' Chuka****, ****b4ndg33k****, ****AshMeowsYaoi****, ****Maya-chan2007****, ****Chrissymay****, ****xblood kittenx****, ****Innovative Lucidity****, for your reviews. As I believe I told one reviewer, they make me squeal like I'm a school girl again. **

**Well, without further ado, here is the longest ass chapter I have ever written: **_**Chapter 10: A Run-In With Turkey OR Why Naps are Important**_

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><p>"Lovi?" Dammit, what did he want now? It was bad enough that he slept pretty much wrapped around me every night (despite my protests) and constantly asked whether I was alright or not or if the nightmares were back, 'do you want me to hold you tighter, Lovi'? No, now he had to bug me when I was trying to eat breakfast to. I clonked my head down on the kitchen table; maybe if I ignored him, he'd go away.<p>

"Lovi," So much for that idea ", don't we have another World Conference tomorrow?"

"We just had one a couple months ago, bastard. So no" I sneered, lifting my head just long enough to cast a disdainful glare his way.

"What exactly is a World Conference, Romano?" España asked from where he was sitting at the other end of the breakfast table. Oh right, they didn't have those back during Antonio's Conquistador days; nor during his Armada days.

"All the countries meet together and _attempt_ to solve current world issues. Basically we meet up so there's less of a chance we'll start a third World War – you don't know what that is either do you?" In unison they shook their heads at me. "Watch the History Channel or something" I grumbled; Spain and España twisted to each other each, inquiring as to what the History Channel was. Did I have to do everything?

I turned away from them and back to Antonio when he started tugging on my sleeve. "But, Lovi, we didn't get anything done, so Germany suggested – well not really suggested, just told us that we would be having another one."

"I don't remember hearing that potato bastard say anything" I growled. He sure as Hell better not have scheduled another meeting, the first one had been bad enough.

"Sure you do, Lovi. Remember, England and France were trying to strangle each other again, so America was trying to stop them while yelling that he was The Hero; Germany was trying to throw Prussia out since he's not a nation anymore and Feli kept complaining to him about wanting pasta; Sealand also snuck in so England was pretty mad about that but he was too busy dealing with America and France to chase him off; Korea kept trying to claim China's chest and Russia kept trying to get China to become one with him; Belarus was doing whatever it is she does," (In other words, being scary beyond all belief) ", and Lithuania was trying to get her to calm down; Sweden was trying to keep Denmark away from his wife, I'm not sure why he calls Finland that – " I flipped Spain the bird at his loud demand that I become _his_ wife. "Japan kept trying to take pictures of something, I not really sure of what but Hungary kept giggling; There was some guy that looked like America sitting quietly in the back of the room, but he disappeared if I looked at him directly. Did you see him too, Lovi?" Dammit, how many times did I have to tell him that was Canada? "Well, Greece was sleeping – oh – there was this cute little cat sitting on his head and it was asleep to! Can we get a cat, Lovi?" Hell no…maybe. "Austria was looking for a piano so he could express his anger. And I was trying to hug you, but you kept running away, and then I had to chase Turkey off; So Germany – "

"Dammit, bastard, I was there, okay! It's hard to forget especially since that happens during every single one of those fucking Conferences! I'm not even sure why our bosses keep forcing us to go to these damn things, it's not like we get anything done!" I shoved Antonio off when he tried to hug me; I don't care how many times he tried, he was not going to 'hug the anger out' of me. "Look, just tell me when Germany said we would be meeting."

"Oh, well, I had just caught up to you and you were hitting me," Yeah, that sounded about right. ", but that's okay, I was just happy to hug my little Lovi."

"Get to the point, bastard" I snarled, rising to my feet and heading towards the sink, taking both mine and Antonio's plate with me. So what if he wasn't done eating?

"Well Germany got really mad and stopped the meeting and said we'd continue later. Maybe you didn't hear him, you were yelling at me while he said it." He tried to grab my wrist. "I wasn't done with that, Lovi!"

Shit! I really need to start paying more attention during these meetings. "Where is it this time, bastard?" I dodged his grasping hands. "And yes you are."

Antonio sulked. "It's at America's again." Son of a bitch! If we were going to make it there by tomorrow we'd have to leave today. Which meant I'd have to rush to back and then rush Antonio's lazy ass to the airport. "Please, Lovi, can I have my breakfast back." Dammit, not the puppy eyes.

"Hurry up and eat, bastard" I griped, shoving his plate back at him. "We're going to have to leave soon – fuck! What are we going to do about those two?" I glared at Spain, not so much at España (even if he was warning me about my language…again). I could _not_ leave these two alone for even a day, much less three. I'd come back and they'd either have killed each other, or my house would be burned to the ground.

"Can't they just stay here? I'm sure they won't do anything bad." Antonio looked and sounded as doubtful of that statement as I felt.

"Hey! Why does he get to go to this conference and not me?" Spain pouted. "I am _Spain_ this is a _World_ meeting! Why can't I go instead of Antonio?"

"Though I do not believe Spain should go, I do have to question if it is a wise idea to send Antonio with you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't France _and_ Turkey going to be there? Who will protect you?"

"Neither of you know jack shit about what is going on in Antonio's economy right now or even what's going on in the rest of the world. For all I know either of you could see England and attempt to start yet another war during the Conference. Besides, Turkey hasn't come after me since I was little and if France bothers me I'll just do what I usually do. Kick him in the nuts and run away." I turned my back on them and headed towards the sink.

"Is this true?" España questioned, completely ignoring me. "Does Turkey no longer attempt to steal Romano from us?"

"Well, umm" Antonio scratched the back of his head. "About that – "

"Wait, what!" I whipped back around; plate still in hand, the sink forgotten. "No, that bastard hasn't bothered me since I was a colony. So don't try and convince them I'm in any danger. I haven't even seen him except at the World Conferences and even then he's on the other side of the room!"

"Lovi, that's because I always chased him off if he got too close to you." He did what now? "I've had to run him off every single Conference, Lovi."

"You've got to be shitting me. I think I would notice if you and that asshole started a fight at the World Conference" I hissed, dropping the plate in the sink just so I could cross my arms defiantly. "Besides, I _don't_ need you to protect me" I nodded my head sharply as if to say 'so there'.

That probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. All three of them gave me looks of amused disbelief; Antonio went so far as to snicker. Spain sauntered up to me, grasping my chin between his thumb and forefinger. "My beautiful little Roma, you have no idea just how much you need us do you?"

España was the next to approach, forcing Spain away before he could feel me up. "Romano, even if you didn't need us to protect you, I hope you realize we still would." He took both my hands in his, his thumbs stroking circular patterns on the back of my hands. "You are very important to us, and we would do anything to ensure you were safe, that you would not be taken from us."

"And what about you, huh?" I growled at Antonio. "Are you going to be crazy overprotective too?" Antonio looked away, refusing to meet my eyes as he nodded.

"I agree with them, Lovi. You're so cute I just can't help but want to protect you." I groaned; they couldn't be serious.

"Look, I don't need you clowns protecting me, okay? I've been stuck ruled by so many nations and empires that I've lost count. Of all the time I've been alive I've only been independent for about an eighth of it, and even so I _still_ have to share my country with my brother. I definitely don't need you assholes coming in and trying to rule my life _again_. I can take care of myself, I have been since 1861 and I will continue to do so!"

"We don't want to rule over you, Lovino – "

"Speak for yourself" Spain grumbled. When his counterparts turned glares on him he held his hands up as if to placate them. "What! If he was under our control again we could protect him better. Besides, if he was ours again he wouldn't be so far away and we would see our lovely Roma more."

España, the bastard, actually looked like he was considering what Spain was saying. I could almost see the wheels in his head turning as he calculated how difficult a war for control of South Italy would be. Well I can tell you now; I was going to make it as difficult as possible for those bastards. I stuck my nose in the air, spinning to face away once again and began to wash my plate.

"You guys cannot invade Romano's home" Antonio interjected. Finally, someone with sense! I probably should have been terrified that it was Antonio of all people who served as the voice of reason. "Besides, Lovi would only come to detest us" Antonio embraced me from behind. "I could not have my Lovi hate me" He murmured.

Dammit. "I wouldn't hate you…bastard" I grumbled, allowing him to hug me a few moments more before I shrugged him off. "I'd probably rebel against you, but I wouldn't hate you" I promised looking over my shoulder at him.

"Fine. We will not invade South Italy" Spain pouted. However, a smirk was soon to replace that look of disappointment and Spain started to stalk towards me. Something about that walk combined with that sly smirk made me want to run for the hills. I froze up as his hands clasped my hips and pulled so that he was practically molded to my ass. "Not unless he wants us to that is" He lisped into me ear. I just about dropped to plate I was holding when his hips rocked against me.

"Ack!" I spun around and held the half washed plate in front of my like a shield. "Stop that, you bastard!" Spain just arched an amused brow at the plate as soap suds slid down it. Okay, maybe turning to face him hadn't been the best idea I considered as he pressed his hips flush with mine. A slight roll of those hips had me blushing up to my ears and pushing him away into a waiting España's grip. España proceeded to smack Spain over the back of the head and then shove him towards the archway leading out of the kitchen.

"L-listen! We can argue about this when I get back, but right now An-Antonio and I have to get ready to leave. I don't care what you two do while we're gone but my house better be standing when I return." With that declaration I retreated from the room, leaving my half washed plate in this sink for one of the tomato bastards to finish cleaning.

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><p>I dragged my suitcase down the stairs; I can't believe that I just got here and I already have to repack. Stupid Germany. Stupid World Conference. Stupid Antonio for reminding me of the stupid World Conference that stupid Germany planned. The suitcase clunked on every other step and I couldn't help but wince at the thought of denting the floorboards. If I wasn't so stubborn I might have made Antonio carry the suitcase for me.<p>

The suitcase was finally dragged down the hallway and into the foyer where Antonio was waiting with his own luggage. The front door was wide open and I could just barely catch a glimpse of the big black car my boss had sent to take us to the airport. Sure it wasn't a limo but it was better than driving Antonio's shitty Ibiza there.

Antonio forced the suitcase out of my hands and carried both his and my luggage out to the car. España stepped towards me as Antonio was leaving. "Romano," I looked up towards him, not too surprised when he pulled me into a protective hold. "I want you to be safe while you are gone. Si?"

I nodded against his chest. "Of course, España, but it's not like I'm going to get into any trouble, the World Conferences are relatively safe." I gently nudged him away.

"I just don't want you to be hurt, Romano" He grumbled, petting my hair, no doubt attempting to appease me before I had an angry outburst.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be fine." I ducked out of his grip this time. "Don't get all mushy on me."

I made to dart towards the front door. I was halfway there when arms encircled my waist for a second time and Spain started to nuzzle the nape of my neck. "I too want you to be safe, mi tesoro" He murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the exposed skin on the back of my neck. His hands didn't wander too much, one did move to grasp my hand though and I was quickly spun to face him. The one arm was still coiled around me while the other held my hand tight and brought it close to his lips. He placed a kiss first on my palm and then on the back of my hand before holding that hand to his cheek. "I will miss you, mi amado" He whispered, as he leaned forward to press a kiss to my forehead. He then titled his head down until our foreheads touched so he could brush the tip of his nose up mine. "Will you miss me too, mi corazón?"

"I-I-um. I – " He chuckled at my stutters and quickly kissed the side of my jaw, just beneath my ear.

"I'll take that as a yes, cariño." He dropped both hands to my side "You had better get going, Roma. The sooner you leave, the sooner you will come back to me" He used to grip on my sides to spin my around towards the door. He lightly pushed me in that direction and gave me a slap across the ass as if to give me a jumpstart. I quickly scurried to the door, glaring at him over my shoulder.

Noticing España's murderous glare I decided to quickly set down some rules. "While I'm gone do not burn down the house or wreck it in any way, do not do anything to freak out my neighbors, I don't want to come home and find out you bastards are in jail and I have to bail you out. One of you at least try to water my tomato garden, do not leave the property unless you absolutely have to, if France or Prussia or anyone shows up, not that I expect them to since they will probably be at the meeting, but regardless, do not let them in. If the phone rings – the phone is that handle looking thing that's attached to the box on the wall by a spiral cord; I explained this to you two last week – if it rings, don't pick it up, just leave it alone. Most importantly do not kill each other. There better still be two tomato bastards here, Antonio not included, when I get return, you got that?"

"Ah, Roma, you care about my safety" Spain cooed. "Worry not; I will make sure to be here when you get home, mi amante, and to greet you accordingly" He purred; the somewhat lust-glazed look that accompanied that promise did not escape my notice.

"Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming, Spain." I waved at them over my shoulder. "Make sure to lock up as soon as I'm gone" I directed at España. "Antonio and I should be back in two to three days." Why did I feel like I was talking to children? "Remember, don't kill each other or anyone else for that matter."

The chorused their assurances before yelling out demands that I be kept safe and in Spain's case his impatience for my return. I was quick to get in the car and shut the door on their nagging.

"Please get us to the airport" I told the driver my boss had sent. He gave a quick, 'as you wish, Mr. Vargas' indicating that he was not one of the handful of humans that were aware of whom I really was. As we pulled out of the drive way I could see España shut the front door.

Luckily my house was only a thirty(ish) minute drive to the Fiumicino International Airport, but I suppose that was one of the advantages of living along the coast away from the city. On the downside I'd have to listen to whatever inane thing popped into Antonio's head for the next thirty or so minutes; I still hadn't recovered from that damn road trip from hell.

Rather I would, but Antonio was oddly…quiet. He just stared out the window with this contemplative look. Just like all the times before when Antonio actually looked like he was thinking hard about something I thought of telling him not to strain himself. What instead came out was a soft, "Are you alright, Antonio?" Dammit! I should not have sounded so concerned, now he's just going to cuddle me or something.

"Hmm? Oh, n-nothing, Lovi!" He gave me a bright grin, but for once the smile didn't reach his eyes. I probably should push and try to find out what was bugging the tomato-bastard, but I let the lie slide. If he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me.

"Whatever, bastard" I grumbled, looking out my own window now. The rest the car ride was spent in silence, as was the walk into the airport for the most part. Even the process of getting on the plane was unusually quiet. Though I suppose that may have more to do with the fact that my boss called ahead and they had an area roped of specifically for Antonio and me so we could board the plane no questions asked and no ridiculous security measures. That was always a relief; walking straight through unhindered rather than trying to explain to the workers behind the desk why you didn't have a passport, why any identification you did have was hundreds of years old, and why your personal information didn't show up in any database. Sure it made things difficult in everyday situations, but for attending to Country or half-a-nation business it was a timesaver.

It didn't take long for the two of us to be sitting in first class on the first flight to New York. Antonio seemed to have gotten over whatever it is that was bugging him because as soon as we were sat down he started to ramble about how happy he was that he got to sit beside 'his little tomato'.

"Lovi, what do you want to do once we get to New York?" I rolled my eyes. "I mean after we check in. The Conference won't be till tomorrow, so we have all day to just hang out if you want! Oh! We could take a walk or if you want we could just stay in our room and watch a movie!"

"Antonio, we're not going to have the same room. We all have our own room, remember? Besides, it's going to be late by the time we get there to do anything, plus we'll be too tired."

"That's not true, Lovi! It's only a nine hour flight, plus we left around ten so we should be there by seven. That should give us plenty of time to do something."

"I didn't know you could do simple math" I sniped. "I was hoping you'd be stupid enough to take my word for it."

"Well, also with the time zone difference, Lovi, it'll only be one over there when we arrive." I starred disbelievingly at him.

"Dammit, quit it, bastard! You're starting to freak me out!" I tried to edge away from him but he just slung and arm around my shoulder and pulled me back. "I don't care if it will be only one when we arrive, I'll still be damn tired so there!"

He pouted. "Oh, okay, Lovi" He perked up as if he got an idea. "I know! We could take a nap together like we usually do. It'll be just like when we take a siesta together."

"I just told you that we have separate rooms, bastard. We're not going to take a nap together."

"But, Lovi –" I glared at him to stop the whining before it could really start. "Oh, alright, Lovi" He grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. I shook my head. Stupid, whiney, childish bastard.

"Fine, _maybe_ we can – possibly we could go get dinner together after we take a nap, okay?" Damn, pouty dumbass. I really need to figure out a way to resist that kick puppy look of his.

He practically squealed his happiness and once again wound his arms around me. "Oh, thank you, Lovi! We can take a nap together first thing, then we'll go to dinner, and then maybe take a walk around a park or – ."

"Dammit, I didn't agree to any of that – and I never said we would be taking a nap _together_." He continued to squeeze me and babble about his plans. The more that asshole talked, the more he made it sound like a date. Shit, I hope that none of the other nations see us, I don't need to encourage their rumors that Antonio and are in love or some other stupid shit like that. "Are you even listening to me, bastard!"

"Ah, so cute." Dammit, why do I even try to argue? In the end he's just going to get his way and I'll be forcibly dragged around with him.

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><p>"Ladies and Gentlemen: We have just landed at the John F. Kennedy International Airp….Welcome to New York City! For your safety, please remain seat…Please do not remove your carry-on bag…refrain from using your cellph…we hope to see you again soon on one of yo..."<p>

In an attempt to block out the annoying woman's voice, I snuggled deeper into the warmth I was leaning on. So damn comfortable. I'd be damned if this was the most comfortable pillow I'd ever had. I mean, shit, this thing even hugged back! So wonderful. Why didn't I have a pillow like this back at – wait a second. Pillows don't hug back. They most certainly don't have a heartbeat. I slowly dragged my eyes open, worried about what I was going to see. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was the bright red fabric that covered whatever I was resting against. The only red pillow I had was tomato shaped so this wasn't it. I reluctantly tilted my head up. I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

I had seen this sleeping face thousands of times, the lazy bastard could sleep just about anywhere, but I'm not sure I'd ever seen it this close. He lips were slightly parted, his normally chocolate colored curls looked like bronze in the sunlight, and his face was relaxed into a peaceful expression. I don't remember ever seeing Antonio look so peaceful. He sleeps beside me almost all the damn time, how had I not noticed 'til now?

Arms tightened around me and Antonio started to mumble about 'cute tomatoes'. It was then I realized my hand had been sneaking up to touch his check. I jerked my hand back as if bitten. What the Hell was that about? Sure the bastard looked unusually handsome right now – I mean, uh, he's always handsome, but – No, wait! That's not what I meant! He-he didn't look quite as ugly as he usually did – Ah fuck it; he looked pretty damn good right now.

I might need to get my brain checked soon, there is obviously something wrong with me. I mean look! I'm still freaking curled up around him – shit! I'm still curled up around him!

I shoved against him to propel myself away. Unfortunately, the only thing that accomplished was to wake Antonio, his arms were like a steel cage so I'd barely moved more than a couple inches before I was pulled right back. Antonio's eyes darted to check our surroundings, his arm constricting around me until he fully woke up and offered me a happy grin. "Lovi!" He cuddled me close, pressing his cheek against mine "Are we almost there?" He asked, looking out the window beside him (I'm not sure why I let him have the window seat).

"How should I know, bastard? I was asleep too." I grumbled, trying futilely to remove his arms from around me. "Let go" I tried pushing against his chest but he wouldn't budge, he just shook his head stubbornly. "I think the flight attendant said we'd be arriving in the JFK airport soon, now let go so we can get ready to land, you dumbass!"

"Oh, alright, Lovi" He gradually released his hold and as soon as I was able to I jerk away to sit upright in my own seat. "I'm still tired, Lovi. As soon as we check in can we – ." The way he scrunched up his eyes to yawn was in no way whatsoever cute. Not at all. "- Can we take a nap together."

"I already said we could, Antonio" I blushed as I fastened my seatbelt into place. I had to elbow Antonio to get him to fasten his. "God! Quit asking questions you already know they answer to. Just shut up until we get out of here" The dopey grin he gave in response to my angry snarls made me want to punch him in the face. Or lock him out of my hotel room after we checked in.

Antonio for once obediently kept his mouth shut as we were ushered out of the plane and then out of the terminal until we were finally out in the street where a taxi was already waiting for us. I should probably thank my boss for remembering to plan all of this. We were soon piled into the back seat of the taxi, Antonio had his head pressed to the glass, surprisingly enough not to look out, but to nap against. I'm not sure why the happy bastard became jet lagged so easily; I hate to think how irritable Spain or España would be after a plane ride (assuming I could actually get España on to a plane).

I must have drifted to sleep again because it didn't seem all that long until the taxi driver was ordering us out of his cab. The hotel rented out for the World Conference was pretty damn impressive I must admit. They even had freaking bell hops and door men out front. I think I even spotted a valet or two. I hurried Antonio inside and too the front desk where I gave the receptionist our human names as well as a wink; Antonio slung an arm around my waist as soon as the receptionist started to giggle. He looked just as perplexed as I did at the action, but the receptionist just flushed, stuttered out an apology to Antonio (fuck if I know why), and practically flung our room keys at us.

"Ha-have a nice s-stay!" She called after us on our way to the elevator, she looked as if she wanted to sink into the floor.

"What the Hell was that about, Antonio?" I hissed as soon as the elevator doors pressed behind us. I leaned forward to press the button for the fifteenth floor. We went up two floors before he answered.

"I don't know, Lovi. She just shouldn't have been looking at you like that." I starred quietly at him as we went up four more floors, the quiet ding as we passed each floor reminding me of how much longer I'd be stuck in here with this tomato-bastard. He must have realized how little sense that made, "Well, what I mean is that, um…aren't you and S-Spain together?"

"Where the fuck did you get that idea? Plus you're also Spain in case you forgot!" I growled. Three more floors. "What would possibly make you think that that horny pirate-bastard and I are together!"

"Well, just the way he kissed you goodbye this morning, and you-you never look at me like that." What in the hell was he talking about. I didn't look at Spain any differently than I did the others.

"You saw that – never mind, for your information he did not kiss me and I have no idea what you are talking about when you say I _look_ at him differently" I snarled hand on my hips. This interaction took five more floors.

"Well, um, it's like, uh – " DING! "Oh look, we're here!" He darted out of the elevator. Oh no, he was not getting away with that. I chased him down; I would _always _be faster than that bastard. I grabbed the back of his shirt and prevented him from swiping the room key to his room.

"Looking at him like what" I rumbled, my advancing steps forcing his retreating ones to the door. If the bastard wasn't so much taller than me, it might have looked intimidating. "Just answer the question, Antonio."

"You look at him kind of how he looks at you." Say what? I do _not_ watch him like he's a steak and I'm a starving man. I most certainly did not return _those_ looks. "He's-he's closer to you than I am, Lovi" He bowed his head. "I just…he's always around you and I feel…"

I thought I was the one with the insecurity issues. "Dammit, Antonio, Spain just wants me for, um…_that_. He doesn't care about me and I most certainly don't like him in _that _way. You're my b-best friend, Antonio, why would you even care if I was interested in him that way?"

His brow wrinkled and he cocked his head to one side, gaining that serious thinking look he had on earlier this morning. Was this what he was worrying about? The tip of his pink tongue stuck out like it did whenever he was trying to solve a problem. "I don't know?" Whatever, I didn't have the patience to deal with dumbass Spaniards. "You're just my friend. So it should matter!" He cheered as if he had found the cure for the common cold or some other difficult shit like that.

"Exactly, now let's go take a nap, okay? I'm tired. We can go for dinner later if you want." I stole the card right out of Antonio's hand and opened his room. He beamed, shutting the door behind him as he entered, before diving onto the bed. As soon as I dropped down beside him he almost plastered himself to my form. I sighed "Good night, confusing bastard."

* * *

><p>That night I had convinced Antonio to sleep in his own room even though the bastard had whined and pled to be allowed to sleep in my room I was adamant about this. When the other nations finally arrived I didn't want them getting any completely incorrect ideas. That and I knew that the first thing France and Prussia would do is seek out their Spanish friend in order to complete their dumbass trio. The next thing they'd do is drag him out to hit all the local bars and trust me when I say I did not want to be dragged into that.<p>

My refusal hadn't stopped Antonio from standing outside my door for nearly an hour, whining and begging to be let in; he had been there since we returned from dinner. I'd actually gotten a call from the front desk asking if I wanted security to come remove the man from my door. When I told them 'No, I know that dumbshit', they told me to let my boyfriend inside, 'He's disturbing the other guests'. I had yelled into the receiver that he was 'not my fucking boyfriend!' but all I'd gotten was a disbelieving snort before they hung up.

Disturbing the other guests. Please, what other guests? This whole floor and the one beneath it were reserved for the visiting nations. Most of them weren't here yet, and if they were they were bound to be outside since it wasn't all that late. No matter what the case may be I decided to take pity on Antonio; it _was _kind of cruel to leave him sitting out there all night.

I slowly opened my door, leaving the chain lock in place so that the door only opened a crack. I glared out at Antonio. "Go to your own room, bastard. People are trying to sleep" I whispered "I already got a call from the front desk telling me to shut you up. Now piss off."

"But, Lovi, I just want to be close to you" Anyone watching this must have thought either I was a complete asshole or Antonio was some creepy stalker…which he sort of was but I digress. "We've been sleeping next to each other for the past month now; I can't sleep without you near."

"Bullshit, you can sleep just about anywhere, at anytime" I hissed. "Just go to your own room, I'll see you in the morning." He used his foot to block the door when I attempted to shut it. "Antonio," I growled in warning. "I will see you tomorrow" I ground out slowly, trying to shove his foot away from the door.

I finally slammed to door shut on him, fully expecting him to keep bugging me, but all I heard was a sigh and then a quiet "Goodnight, Lovi" before his footsteps echoed away from my door.

I would _not_ feel bad about this, I told myself as I crawled into my own bed. That damn thing seemed too big and too cold. "Dammit, pull it together, Vargas! You've been sleeping alone for decades now (No, the times Feliciano would sneak into my bed didn't count)!" I'll admit that I wasn't very good at convincing myself, but I curled up, knees nearly tucked up to my chest, as I tried to go to sleep.

* * *

><p>"I really should have let that bastard sleep in my bed" I considered as I stumbled into the Conference room. I hadn't slept more than a handful of minutes last night. Whenever I <em>had<em> fallen asleep I was plagued by nightmares. Even if Nonno hadn't appeared in them they were still horrifying. When the fuck had it become necessary to share a bed with someone? Hell, it didn't even have to be Antonio! Just someone to make the bed feel warmer. Safer.

Speaking of the tomato bastard, I hadn't seen him this morning. I had shuffled, eyes half open to his room in order to wake him (bastard would sleep the day away if you let him) only to find he had vacated the room earlier this morning to hang out with those douchebag friends of his.

Fully expecting everyone to stare at my disheveled hair, twisted clothes, and the dark circles that were bound to be under my eyes, I wandered over to my chair (Antonio on the left, Canada on the right, and Feliciano across from me). The only ones who actually seemed to notice me were the aforementioned dipshits. Dammit, I was beginning to feel like Canada, though I suppose at the moment that was a good thing.

As soon as I slumped down into my seat, head all but crashing down onto the tabletop, Antonio placed a warm hand on my back. The warmth would have had me asleep in seconds were it not for the persistent voice in my ear. "Lovi? Mi tomate, are you okay?" The hand on my back started to stroke up and down. "You look awful" Gee, thanks. "What happened, did you have another nightmare? See, I told you you should have let me sleep next to – "

I sluggishly slapped a hand over his mouth, barely mustering the strength to lift my head and offer him a baleful glare. "I'm fine, bastard. I'm just really tired. I didn't sleep at all last night."

"See, this is why you should have let me in" He muttered, his hand drifting up to run his fingers through my hair now, putting it into some sort of order while lulling me back to sleep. "Oh, my poor tomato." I would have flipped him off if I could coordinate my hands enough to do so, I really would have. "If you want you can nap during the Conference, I'll cover for you."

I shook my head, consequentially removing the hand from my head. "You don't know shit about what's going on, Antonio" I grumbled. "Neither does Feliciano, I have to be awake in case something important comes up" Not that anything important ever came up. If it did, Greece would be utterly screwed.

"If you're sure, Lovi, but as soon as this Conference is over I am taking you back to your room and you are going to take a nap and you are not going to kick me out." I just nodded too exhausted to process just what exactly I was agreeing to.

I came to realize I had broken my promise to stay away when Antonio started to shake my shoulder. "What?" I whined, trying to shift away from him. If Antonio had wanted me to wake up he probably should have stopped petting my hair.

"Lovi, it's time for lunch break. Come on, I'll get you something to eat, tomate" He soothed, still petting my hair. Shit, it was that late already? "Please wake up, Lovi. If you don't I'll…um….I'll pull your hair curl."

"Like hell you will, bastard!" I snarled, jerking into an upright position and slapping his hands away from my hair. I tried to pay no heed to the curious eyes of the other nations as they turned to see the source of the sudden outburst; as soon as they realized it was (as usual) just me and Antonio they all turned back to their own conversations and lunch plans.

"I knew that would wake you up" Antonio beamed, hooking his arms under my armpits and lifting me out of the chair all while disregarding my snarls.

"Dammit, quit treating me like I'm still a kid, Antonio" I flailed ineffectively. Once I was on my feet, and Antonio seemed sure I wouldn't sway and fall over, he let go.

"You still haven't told me what that hair curl does, Lovi" He complained, starring at said hair curl. He reached out a hand as if to touch it but was quickly slapped away.

"Don't even think about it, bastard" I warned. "Let's just go to lunch, si?" We started towards the double doors leading out of the Conference room when a flash of blond caught my eye. I twisted so fast I almost gave myself whiplash.

England.

Now usually at the first sight of England I would dive behind Antonio and use him as a (somewhat) human shield, always making sure he was in between me and the island nation. You know, just in case England ever decided for some odd reason that he wanted to attack me. Not today though. Today, I had to see if he was involved in what happened to Antonio (which he probably was) and have him fix this.

I flinched as England turned to look at me. Well, not at me, but through me and at Antonio. He studied Antonio for the longest time, a look of disappointment slowly overtaking his face.

It was now or never. I had to get over there and confront the eyebrow bastard before America swept in and stole him off to lunch.

"Wait a sec, Antonio. We can go in a minute, I have to go talk to…someone" I headed away from Antonio before he could answer and did my best to lose him in the crowd (a skill I've developed over the years). I looked towards my target; England was still glaring at Antonio who was starring after me with confusion.

He was just a few yards away from me and I was mustering my courage to call out for his attention when a hand wrapped around my wrist. I turned around to growl threats at Antonio but the white mask instead of bright green eyes that entered my sight made my heart drop out of my chest.

"Tu-Turkey!" I tried to jerk away from him, but his grip tightened painfully. "Ow, bastard! Let go!" Dammit, why did the tomato-bastard have to be right? I had really hoped that Turkey was done chasing me.

"Please, Lovino, we've known each other for so long. Call me, Sadiq" The words may have been polite, but the not so hidden threat in his tone made me shiver.

"Dammit, Turkey, leave me alone. I've got to go talk to someone who's not as much of a waste of space as you" Shit! Where had that come from? From the near crushing hold that Turkey now had I could safely say I had not only crossed the line but fucking stomped on it as well. Forget talking to England, I needed Antonio.

I spun around so I could call out to Antonio. Seems like I didn't have to, the green eyed man was already making his way through the crowd, edging nations aside when he needed to. I called out anyways, maybe that would scare Turkey off.

"**Antonio!**" The sudden cry had a handful of nations looking towards us and had Antonio picking up his pace. Turkey's grasp loosened marginally at the sight of Antonio and I was sure I was out of danger.

The closer Antonio got though, the smugger the smirk on Turkey's face came to be. "Something is different about your precious Spain, Lovino" He murmured, more for himself than for me. "He doesn't seem quite as…dangerous. Has something changed, Lovino?" The grip tightened once more.

"Ah, Antonio, how wonderful to see you again" I'm sure he meant anything but that, but the sneer on his face gave away his feelings on its own.

"Sadiq, let go of my Lovino" He growled. Usually when Antonio growls out a threat Turkey, well just about everyone, runs off to find someone else to pester on the other side of the fucking world. The only problem was that Antonio's growl wasn't anywhere near as threateningly psychotic as it used to be. Maybe I should have taken Spain and España with me, I'm sure their threats would have scared Turkey right off –

Dammit, why didn't I realize this? Ever since he was split in three Antonio was nowhere near as strong as he was when he was one person. There was no way he could scare off Turkey on his own. I think the worst thing about this situation was that I realized I actually needed all three of those bastards. Shit, could today suck any more?

Turkey grinned down at Antonio. "So what happened to you, huh?" Turkey jerked on my arm to try and get me behind his back; blocking me from Antonio. The move was foolish, it put him in range. I think he had just started to realize that when my forehead slammed into the bridge of his nose. He let go of my wrists in order to clutch at the damage. If there was one thing I was good at, it was breaking bastards' noses.

I grabbed onto Antonio's arm and tried to pull him away. Unfortunately Turkey recovered faster that Antonio would from a headbutt like that. He grabbed for my elbow this time, snarling at me as he advanced, "You little brat!" I got ready to turn around and kick him in the balls too.

"Sadiq, leave those two alone. You have caused enough trouble for them." I jerked around to face the interferer almost as fast as Turkey did.

"Stay out of this, Herakles!" He hissed, but let go of me all the same. "You don't have any business in this." I decided it would be a good idea to get out of here, so I grabbed onto Antonio again and pulled him out of the Conference room, leaving Greece and Turkey to fight it out.

"Let's go get something to eat, Antonio. Today's going to be a long day" He just nodded and grasped my hand as we walked out of the hotel to find the nearest diner.

* * *

><p>España paced back and forth in the lobby. There was something wrong, he knew it! He could feel it in his very skin. Something or someone had hurt Romano. His Romano. If he were there with Romano he would kill the scum that dared to touch his colony – no, Romano wasn't his colony anymore. He was his…his amorcito?<p>

Yes, that sounded about right. Very odd, yes, but also very right. When he fell for his pequeno he wasn't sure. Last he saw Romano he had been a small child. Much too young for that kind of love. That had all changed the moment he saw this new Romano. This not-so-graceful but still beautiful creature that put all others to shame.

And his beautiful little amor was in danger right now. He should be there! He shouldn't have let that idiot part of himself go off alone with his fragile, defenseless Romano. Perhaps that was an over exaggeration, but that didn't stop him from kicking himself over letting Romano go without someone to protect him. Even Spain would have been a better choice to protect Romano than Antonio!

"I want my Romano back" He snarled as he looked for something breakable to throw. Romano's rules be damned. He had to destroy something this very instant to keep him from running off to the (not so) New World and hunting down his dear Romano. To keep from dragging Romano home and locking him up for years to come, never letting any other nations anywhere near his little one. To keep him from –

"Yes, we both want our Roma back, but snarling and raging about it isn't going to bring him back any sooner" Spain interjected from where he leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, one knee bent so he could rest his foot on the frame.

"I know that, Spain" He sighed sinking down into the armchair, resting his head in his hands. "It's only been a day and I miss him already" He looked up at this pirate counterpart who seemed to be handling the separation better than he was; in other words, he sprawled himself out on the couch pressing buttons on that thing Romano called a remote. He had figured out how to work the tele…television-thing sometime yesterday.

"Si, amigo. I miss that feisty little Italian of ours too. I just want to hold him again" He lamented, looking down at the remote before shutting off the television entirely. "I think I'm going to go water Romano's tomato garden. Wouldn't want him mad that he let his plants die while he was away."

España sighed before placing his hands on his knees and forcing himself up onto his feet. "I think I will help you, it'll help keep my mind of this worry" He followed after the pirate, Romano still on his mind. "Spain," He waited until the other stopped to look at him before continuing ", do you also feel as if something is wrong?"

Spain shrugged. "Romano may look weak, but he's strong when he needs to be. I'm sure that whatever happens he can take care of himself. He's not as weak as the Romano we knew. Besides, wimp or no, Antonio will do all he can to protect our amado."

España hummed noncommittally. "Speaking of our older counterpart," Spain smirked as if he knew what the other was about to say. Then again, considering they were essentially the same person they probably were. ", why is it so hard for him to accept Romano?"

"I do not know, but it is annoying me. It's not like I want the competition or anything, but his obliviousness is hurting our little love" Spain grumbled, rotating his shoulders. "Besides, the way I figure it, we're all the same man, so who's to say we can't share him?"

España glared back at him. "I agree that we have to open Antonio eyes since I will not let his thoughtless comments hurt my Romano any further, but I would rather not share him with the likes of you."

"Ow, harsh, España" The grin clearly displayed that for the moment there was no hard feelings. "No matter, let's just wait for Roma to come home before we think too seriously about this." España considered this offer before nodding his agreement.

"Very well, besides, whatever danger Romano was in seems to be over, I no longer have that sinking feeling."

Spain winced, "Can we not talk about sinking" He grumbled. "Damned eyebrows." He stomped off. "Sunk my armada. If I ever see that asshole again I'll rip those caterpillars off his face" España watched him head out the garden. Maybe it _was_ a good idea that Romano hadn't brought them.

* * *

><p>Thank God! The Conference was over and I could finally go back to my hotel room and sleep the rest of the day (almost-night) away. That meeting had taken way too long, and it seemed even longer right now since everyone, Antonio included (that bastard) was wandering around and socializing.<p>

I stood with my arms crossed, beside Spain as he talked about some unimportant shit with Austria. Hate that bastard, the only reason I was standing here now was that I was waiting for Antonio. Don't ask me why I was waiting for him, I just was.

It had occurred to me while I was staring at Sweden trying to grab a hold of Finland's hand that Antonio hadn't tried to hold my hand even once during the Conference. Usually I needed a stick or something to beat him off but today he had kept his hands mostly to himself. He had reached a few times to grab my hand, but every time, right before he made contact, he would pull back.

It was actually starting to freak me out. He'd usually just hang off of me. What had changed that he didn't do that anymore? He hugged me all the time at home. Did this have something to do with being separate people now? Spain would have no doubt molested me by now, witnesses or no.

Before accusations are thrown around I did not grab on to Antonio's hand because I missed the affection. I did so for a sense of…normalcy. That and he had started heading over to my idiot brother and if those two started talking it would be forever until I got back to my hotel room and the nice warm bed. It was not because I was jealous.

Antonio jolted, nearly tripping, as my fingers laced through his. He looked down at me, his cheek flushing just the slightest shade of pink. "L-lovi?" He questioned, looking at me as if I'd grown a second head.

"Don't make a big deal about it, bastard" I grumbled, puffing out my cheeks and looking anywhere but at him. This meant that I was looking at the rest of the room where quite a few nations were giving me startled looks. No doubt most of them were wondering why I'd decided to openly show affection for Antonio. Well, as I already explained, I was just trying to get him to leave and not talk to my dumbass of a brother. Besides, it wasn't like I hadn't held Antonio's hand before at one of these Conferences. It's just Antonio had initiated everything. Hand holding was rather tame in comparison to the smothering hugs and forehead kisses Antonio usually gave me.

"Let's go, Antonio" I pulled him away. Feliciano was watching us leave; for once his eyes fully open expressing his shock as he saw our linked hands. One corner of his mouth lifted up into a smile, before he practically leapt on Germany and started jabbering excitedly about something. I should probably have been worried about Feliciano since the mere fact that he fully opened his eyes was suspicious enough to start planning for some kind of crazy ass scheme, but I was more concerned with the crazy woman giggling over us just a few yards away. Japan stood dutifully by her side with a camera trained on us, which clicked every few seconds.

"Hurry, before Hungary does something weirder than usual" I urged, pulling Antonio towards and out the double doors. He grinned and squeezed my fingers, turning around to offer a wave to Hungary even though I attempted to slap his arm back down. "Shit, we have to make it to the elevator before Hungary can catch up. Do you honestly want her and her bloody tissues following us around and asking us to do…weird things with each other?"

Antonio quickly shook his head. "No! I'm sorry, Lovi. I was just being polite. I completely forgot how crazy Elizaveta is. Look, there's the elevator!" He ushered me in and pressed the close door button. I unconsciously squeezed Antonio's hand tighter as the doors slowly shut on the advancing Hungary. Oh god, we weren't going to make it. She was going to catch up and pry open those doors with her freakish strength and then force Antonio and I to make out right here right now in this elevator and then –

The doors slid shut, hiding Hungary from view. "Thank God! We escaped!" I cried, surprising myself by wrapping my arms around Antonio's shoulders in a celebratory hug. I quickly jerked away and stood rigidly by his side as we waited for the elevator to reach the fifteenth floor. I probably should have let go of his hand but you know Antonio, as soon as those elevator doors opened he'd probably wander off. Or we could stop on the wrong floor and he could mistakenly walk off…What! It's possible!

The elevator dinged signaling our arrival on the fifteenth floor. Antonio led me away from the elevator and towards my room. "Let's go to sleep, Lovi. I know you're tired." I know I had sort of promised to let Antonio sleep with me tonight (not in that way, you damn perverts), but now that he (and the other nations) were here, I was reconsidering things.

"Don't worry about what the others think, Lovi. You and I both know we're just good friends" He frowned momentarily but it was gone and replaced by a soft smile so fast I wasn't even sure it had been there in the first place. "I know you had a hard time sleeping without me there, Lovi. You had nightmares right?" I shrugged, but Antonio knew the truth.

"I may not have had trouble sleeping last night, but I did miss having my little Lovi in my arms as I slept. It was too cold without you, mi tomate." I grimaced at the pet name, but let Antonio follow me into the room after I swiped the keycard.

"Fine," I mumbled, shutting the door behind him and walking towards the bed, "you can sleep here" I slipped off my slacks, and started to unbutton my dress shirt. I got about halfway before my arms felt like they were made of lead and I just crawled into the bed too tired to care if I wore pajamas or not.

Antonio looked like he wanted to comment on my current choice of sleepwear but wisely stripped off his own dress pants and shirt before crawling in, clad only in boxers, after me and slipping an arm under me so that my head came to rest in the crook of his neck just on his shoulder.

I wanted to complain about the intimate position but as soon as my head touched warm skin and my nose caught the familiar scent that was Antonio, which automatically made me feel safe, I conked out. The world may as well have been dead to me and I to it, since the last thing I was aware of before sleeping was wrapping my arms around Antonio and hooking a leg over his as he enveloped me completely.

* * *

><p>I yawned. That sleep had been amazing; I don't think I'd slept that well since, well, since before we left on this stupid trip. Dammit, I really was becoming dependent on Antonio; even though I had sworn I could stand on my own and didn't need those three ruling me.<p>

I tried to locate where exactly I was and when I did let me tell you now, I was not happy. Sometime during the night he or I or bother of us had rolled over; which meant I now found myself entirely sprawled out on top of Antonio, my arms folded under my head and resting on his rising and falling chest. Probably the most embarrassing thing about this position was that Antonio's hand had come to rest on my lower back. And I _mean_ my lower back. And by that I meant that were he to reach even a few centimeters further he would have a handful of my ass. Since I was wearing boxers and a half button dress shirt, I can tell you now that was beyond awkward.

Of course the bastard would be clueless to it all and just snoozing away. I know I had been too tired to change last night, but if I have known I'd wake up like _this_ on top of a shirtless, boxer clad Spaniard you can bet your ass I would have somehow find the energy to change clothes. At the least order Antonio to put some damn clothes on.

"Mmm, 's bright" He mumbled, shifting just slightly beneath me, and drawing my attention back up to his face. He yawned, lifting that hand that had been strewn off to the side to rub at his eyes. He cracked on eye open ad looked down at me. "Ah, Buenos dias, mi tomate" He cooed, dropping his arm back down this time resting it near the other on my lower back; thankfully not as close to my ass as the other arm.

I probably should have made my escape while I could but now I was stuck here on this lazy bastard until he decided to relinquish his hold. "How are you this morning, Lovi" He dragged his fingers along my back, caressing me through the dress shirt.

"…" I pushed myself up onto my elbows and starred down at his smiling face, his eyes still had that sleepy glazed look and probably would for another hour or two. "I'm Fine" I stammered trying to stifle a yawn of my own as well as a blush. "We're going to have to leave soon, Antonio. We need to get home and make sure the others haven't killed each other."

He made a low whining sound and tightened his grip on my sides to pull me back down against him. "Not yet, Lovi. It's still too early." I titled my head up to glare at him for a few moments.

He gave me those damn puppy eyes. "Alright, fine! One more hour, but as soon as we wake up again we're going to have to rush our asses to the airport." He nodded quickly a happy grin taking up his face. He then squeezed me close and rolled, flipping me so that my back was to him and he was pretty much spooning me.

You know what. What-the-fuck-ever. He's just going to cuddle with me like this whether I yelled at him or not, so why struggle? I was _not _going to be spooned though, so I rolled over to face him. And what if I did wrap my arms around him too?

* * *

><p>The airplane ride home had been pretty uneventful, I'd actually managed to stay awake this time and watch a couple of those stupid in-flight movie that Antonio had just loved. Other than that I spent most of my time tapping on my thigh and bouncing my knee, too worried about what I might find one I got home. Please, don't let them have burned my house down. I did not want to have to go back to the house Feliciano and I once shared. It would be so difficult to hide the three-tomato bastards at my brother's house.<p>

I stepped into my home. Sure it may not have been as big as the old home I shared with Feliciano and it most certainly wasn't anywhere near as fucking gigantic as Antonio's house, but it was my house and it was good to be back. Besides, it was big enough for me and all three of the tomato bastards to live in comfortably with room to spare so what else did I need? Well, other than putting them back together again –

Shit! I forgot completely about England. Dammit to Hell, what was I going to do – Wait! Maybe I could call him. It wouldn't be too hard to find his number. The only problem is that all three of the tomato bastards hate eyebrow bastard so they'll never let me call him. I'm surprised I even got that close to him at the Conference yesterday. Had either España or Spain been with me I wouldn't have even been able to take a step towards him.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure something out. I was just too happy to be home right now to fret about England. I opened my front door, Antonio right at my heels. "Hey, bastards! I'm home. Where are you" I called out, starting to panic when I didn't receive a reply. Fuck! What if they actually killed each other! What was I going to do? Antonio would never get back to normal, and it would be impossible to hide the bodies, what –

"**Roma?**"

"**Romano!" **

Oh shit!

Two sets of feet thundered through the house growing louder as they grew closer. Spain practically tripped down the stairs the same time that España slid around the living room corner. The both stopped and starred as if reassuring themselves that it was really me standing here. They weren't immobile for long though.

Let me tell you, being tackled by not one, but two overjoyed Spaniards hurts like a bitch. Especially when the third decides that looks like fun and joins in. Didn't that just scream 'welcome home'.

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><p><strong>AN: Maybe some of you liked having a chapter this long, maybe some of you didn't, but I can promise you right here and now, that I will **_**not **_**be writing another chapter that long for a while. Editing it was way too time-consuming. **

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review, and I will see you again next Thursday in **_**Chapter 11: A Hungarian Visitor**_**. Well, I'm off to do homework I don't want to do, ciao!  
><strong>


	12. Ch 11: A Hungarian Visitor

**A/N:**

**Thanks to all my readers and a special thanks to my reviewers, Catsdon'tcry, APH1168kittens, Yuri_n'_Chuka, LeAwesome, Verito.S, Airis_Hanamori, lunynha, animebaka14, kai, MoriandMeForever, SinyaLAnweledig, Mochikyan, KitsuneMagic48, Worm_Of_The_Books, and Innovative Lucidity.**

**Well, other than that I don't have much to say other than I'll be really busy next Thursday so I will either be updating on Wednesday or Friday.**

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><p>Somehow, someway, I had managed to get through yesterday unscathed. Not for lack of trying on the tomato bastards' part though. Whenever I thought I got away, either Spain or España would get a hold of me. If España caught me he'd check me over for injuries, convinced I had somehow managed to hurt myself in the past few minutes since he had last checked me over. When Spain caught me he would just latch on and refuse to let go unless I called out to España for help; which didn't happen often since by now his over protective actions were beginning to feel like molestation.<p>

I probably shouldn't say that I escaped yesterday unscathed since somehow, when I wasn't paying enough attention, Spain had managed to catch me and leave a fresh hickey on the bend of my neck.

Antonio after the original tackle to the floor had wisely chosen to leave me mostly alone. He just let his counterparts hug me and reassure how much they'd missed me. He didn't even get a chance to get all too close to me when I finally collapsed into my bed that night since Spain and España had refused to let me out of their sight. What this meant was that I had ended up with three Spaniards curled up in my bed arguing over who got to sleep closest to me. In the end I was stuck sandwiched between Spain and España while Antonio slept near the edge with his back pressed to Spain's back.

Though I can't say I slept well since I was constantly worried that the bed frame was going to break, I was just happy that I hadn't been groped in my sleep. Spain, once he'd gotten his arms around my waist and my head in the crook of his neck, had kept his hands from wandering; only occasionally rubbing a hand in circular motions on my upper back. España surprisingly hadn't killed Spain for holding me so close, but rather, after some grumbling, sidled up behind me, coiling one arm around me so that his hand rested flat on my sternum. The other arm underneath so that my cheek was cradled on his bicep and Spain's neck was resting on his forearm.

Antonio had eventually rolled over so that he was pressed against Spain's back, his nose burying in his curls while his left arm trailed over Spain's side to clasp my hand, intertwining our fingers.

If I hadn't have been so angry about having to share my bed with three other men, the sight probably would have been sort of, maybe, kind of cute; especially when they started to snore in sync. Now typically I kick Antonio when he starts to snore, but there was no way to kick all three of them so I let it slide. Besides, it was kind of ador –

Dammit to Hell! I'm doing it again! Those tomato bastards were not cute! I flailed about uselessly as I attempted to untangle myself from them. In response España had tightened the arm around me and nestled his chin on the crown of my head; Spain dug his fingers into my shirt in order to pull me closer; and Antonio pulled on my hand so that it stretched over Spain's side, eventually stopping when my hand was on Spain's shoulder blade so that Antonio could then hold my hand in both of his, resting his cheek against the back of it.

It was a good thing I wasn't claustrophobic otherwise I would have gone into a panic attack long before now. As it was, I was seriously considering it. I slowly rolled over onto my stomach and got a steady grip onto the sheets beneath me. I took a few cautious glances at the sleeping bastards before slowly backing away, down the bed, and out from under their arms.

Disentangling my fingers from Antonio's had been the hardest part, especially since he latched onto my sleeve as soon as I got my hand free. No matter how I shifted or twisted he wouldn't let go. Dammit, looked like there was only one way out of this.

I pulled my arm out of the sleeve and once again continued my trail down to the foot of the bed. Spain grip on the back of my shirt helped to pull the shirt over my head and before I knew it I was free. I slowly backed the rest of the way of the bed on my hands and knees. No way were those bastards going to catch me again. I set one foot on the floor; my hands still pressed flat to the mattress to stabilize me and then lowered the second one.

I stood up straight and looked down at them for a few seconds. Spain had grabbed my discarded shirt and pulled it to his chest just beneath his nose, muttering a quiet "Roma". España on the other hand seemed to realize something was missing because the arm that had previously been around me patted the space in between him and Spain. I had a mini-heart attack when he started to grumble out my name. He reached a little farther forward, his hand coming to rest on Spain's side. I was sure I was found out, but España just grabbed a hold of Spain and pulled him into the space I had been occupying. Antonio, also noticing the shift, scooted over so he was once again against Spain's back before threading his arms around the pirate.

Ah fuck it; even I had to admit that the three of them were pretty cute like this. You know, when España wasn't going axe happy, Spain wasn't trying to stick his hands down my pants and Antonio wasn't being a loud dumbass.

Cute or not, I was not sticking around to see what they'd do when they found out I'd escaped from their cuddle pile of doom (No I am not exaggerating, that had been mentally scarring)! With that thought in mind I tiptoed out of the room and headed down the stairs to start breakfast. For myself, obviously. No way was I cooking for those sleepy bastards. Perhaps some toast, but that's it!

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><p>I'm sure no one is surprised that I ended up making breakfast for the tomato bastards anyways. I glared at said breakfast, which consisted of bread with an assortment of jams, some eggs, and most importantly coffee (I'd need it if I was going to deal with them this morning) as it sat innocently on the table with the plates stacked beside it for whenever those bastards decided to wake up. Judging by the pained yelp and muffled cursing it wouldn't be long before España stomped down the stairs and tried to hunt me down. Spain probably wouldn't be far behind.<p>

I braced myself for the yelling and the accusations that would be thrown around as soon as the three of them came down the stairs. Well, Antonio would probably just sit down and happily start to munch on his breakfast, no doubt handing out cheerful compliments on my cooking (Not that I was looking forward to that). It would be Spain and España that would do the yelling. I could hear footsteps on the stairs already; they were soft though so it was probably just Antonio. There were still snarls coming down through the floorboards from my room.

No doubt Antonio would start to squeal about how cute I was and thank me for making breakfast. Then he'd probably hug me and squeal some more and – wait. Why did I hear gravel crunching? I drifted out of the kitchen and towards the window at the front of the house. Pulling back the curtains just a crack I peered out the window; a car swerved around Antonio's Ibiza and came to a halt right in front of my garage. I'd be willing to bet that was on purpose to as I watched _her_ step out of the little car that was currently blocking my only escape route (unless I willingly took Antonio's shit car).

"Holy shit" I darted towards the front door. Oh god, please have let Antonio lock the door before I was tackled yesterday! Better yet, let that paranoid Conquistador have locked the door last night! I practically slammed into the door as I tried to slide to a halt. "Oh thank god, it's locked!" I quickly backed away from the door. If I didn't answer maybe she would go away! Oh please let her go away.

"Lovi?" Antonio called from the kitchen. Dammit, no! If she saw Antonio here she would start to think all kinds of crazy shit. Even worse! What if she found out about the others? That damn pervert would probably have all kinds of sick fantasies about that. "Lovi, where are you? I want to thank you for making breakfast." Cockshitfuck!

I was about to run to the kitchen and shove Antonio, breakfast and all, back up the stairs when a voice called from the other side of the door, "_Romano_." Oh please no. Not her! Anyone but her! I backed away from the door, afraid to take my eyes off it lest she kicked it down or appear in front of it in a puff of smoke. "I know you're there, _Romano_." Please no, please no! "Just open the door, _Romano_!" Shit, is this what Russia felt like when ever his batshit sister came after him? "_Romano_, either you open this door or I will." And she would to.

I swallowed what little courage I had and unlocked the door. She slammed the door open before I even had a chance to twist the handle, would have smashed my face in had I not jumped back fast enough. "Hello, Hungary." I croaked, slowly backing away once again. "How-how did you get here?"

"Oh sweetie, I drove here obviously. And to think I thought you were the smart one in the relationship." She shook her head and tutted. "Speaking of, where is that sexy Spaniard of yours?"

"My sexy what!" I squeaked, my face heating up. "And how the fuck do you even know where I live! I moved without telling yo – without telling anyone where I was moving to!" Dammit, I thought when I'd moved she wouldn't show up anymore and pester me to "confess my undying love for Antonio".

She just gave me a Cheshire grin "I have my way, Romano" In other words she bribed/blackmailed/threatened the location out of Feliciano. "Now get out of my way, dear, and let me in the house."

"No!" The grin on her face grew. "I mean, um, no I'm…cleaning?" She gave me a dubious look before barging in anyways. Yeah, it was a pathetic excuse. Me? Cleaning? As fucking if! I still couldn't clean worth shit; Antonio could vouch for that.

"What exactly are you hiding in here, Romano? Hmm?" By the smirk she gave me she already knew the answer to her question. I looked over her shoulder. Shit, that's right! Antonio's shitty little car is sitting in the driveway.

Hungary pushed past me and into the house at the sound of footsteps in the kitchen; the force behind that push nearly knocking me down on my ass. "Dammit, Hungary! Get out of my house." She turned back to give me an unimpressed, borderline bored look.

"Just get it over with and tell me what you're hiding, Romano." That grin was positively evil. Shit, what the fuck was I going to tell her? She no doubt knew Antonio was here, all the same when Antonio poked his head around the corner from the kitchen my eyes widened to the size of saucers and I frantically tried to tell him without moving or speaking that he get his ass back in the kitchen!

I probably looked like I was having a spasm with my head twitching to the side like that because Hungary gave me a confused look. Antonio had just spotted Hungary and ducked back into the kitchen when the small woman turned around to see what I'd been looking at. Dammit, I think she saw him.

The victorious look she threw over her shoulder at me as she headed towards the kitchen confirmed my suspicions. I don't know why I was trying so hard to hide Antonio, she knew without a doubt he was here. I hurried to get in front of her and into the kitchen so that I could chase the tomato bastard away before she got there. Hungary just elbowed be out of the way and strode into the kitchen.

"Hungary, I can expla – the fuck?" There was no one in the kitchen. Antonio had not only vacated the area but also put away the extra breakfast plates, leaving just a single, unused plate. "Umm…I was having – about to have breakfast when you showed up so I'm sorry that the kitchen is a mess." The scathing glare she gave me shut me and my rambling excuses up real fast.

"Come on, Romano." She ground out. "Let's go find what you are hiding, hmm?" The grin she gave me as she snatched my arm and pulled my out of the kitchen was terrifyingly pleasant. "Well, where is he, Romano?"

"W-where is wh-who?" Hungary was thoroughly unamused now. Her grip tightened painfully and I couldn't stop the yelp that escaped me. The psychotic grin she gave me as she squeezed didn't help.

"You know who, Romano. Now where is – " creaking footsteps on the stairs is what stopped her. The pained yelp is no doubt what drew his attention and it wasn't a few seconds before Spain, not Antonio or España or anyone who I knew would behave themselves, came down the stairs. His eyes flicked between Hungary and I before he gave that crazy bitch a smile that sent chills up my spine; the shiver that passed through her told me it did the same to her. Hungary quickly let go of my arm, jerking back as if burned.

As soon as I was no longer being harmed Spain seemed to have forgotten completely about Hungary and instead focused entirely on me. His smirked quickly turned predatory and he sauntered towards me. Before I could run away he had wrapped his arms around me, his hands slid down into my back pockets in order to cup my ass. "How is my feisty little querido this morning?" He purred as he used the grip on my ass to pull my close and grind our hips together.

I'm not sure what was worse. That Hungary immediately went down in a spray of blood, clutching tissues to her nose as she tried to stay conscious, or that the reason she went down was that Spain's movement was so sudden I had been unable to stop the moan it caused in time and had to fist my hand into Spain's shirt to keep standing.

"I knew it!" Hungary declared as soon as she was able to stand again. "Kiku will be so happy when I tell him. I told him you two had gotten together, but he said you were too tsundere to have accepted him so quickly! But I knew it. You two were much too clingy at the World Conference to not be together."

"What! No! nononono! Spain and I are not together" She shook her head disbelievingly, chuckling a bit to herself. "I'm straight dammit!" I turned a glare on Spain when he snorted.

"Ah, Si. That is why you moaned and clung to me so tightly just now, isn't it, mi amado?" He snickered as he nipped at my ear.

"I only moaned because you caught me by surprise, bastard!" I hissed, grabbing his wrists and trying to get him to remove his hands from my back pockets. That asshole was stubborn though and just squeezed as he once more drew our hips together. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from making any sort of noise this time.

"Is that so?" He continued to softly nibble on my ear. He traced the shell of my ear with the tip of his tongue drawing a gasp from me. "Is that why you gasp so beautifully, mi amante?" He made his way down, leaving kisses on the column of my neck. "Is that why your eyes are closed and your hands are grasping the back of my shirt?" He removed one of the hands from my pocket and slid it up, palm flat against my back, to support me as my back arched and my head bent back to give him better access. Against my will, dammit! I'm not sure what was going on, but I wasn't in control of my own actions anymore! Dammit, I did not want this!

I did not want this. I _swear_ I did not want this! I would never – oh! A little to the right, please. He moved as if reading my mind, nibbling instead on the spot beneath my ear. Oh god, yes. My fingers once more tangled into the back of his shirt and held on for dear life. Damn, why didn't I want this? It felt so nice and wo –

"Shit!" I shoved Spain off of me as I not only remembered Hungary was here, no doubt staining my floor with her blood, but this was Spain. _Spain_! I did not want Spain or any other man molesting me like this. "Dammit, you bastard. Quit doing that." Spain just rolled his eyes and slid his hand down into my back pocket again. "I mean it dammit. I'm not – not interested." He snorted again. "Plus Hungary is here and you'll give her the wrong idea!"

"The wrong idea?" He looked over at Hungary, who had somewhat collected herself and was merely giving us that pervy grin of hers as she stood to the side. "What idea is it that we seem to have given her, tesoro?" I glared at him as I practically watched the gears turn in his head. "That I want to claim you? Throw you down and take you?" He purred. Hungary flushed nearly as red as I did, for different reasons of course. "Or did I give her the idea that I want to cover every inch of your skin with kisses as you writhe beneath me?" He rolled his hips a second time. "To pleasure you until you _scream_ my name as I plunge in to your tight little -"

I slapped both hands over his mouth, feeling my face burning all the way up to my ears. "Yes, you dumbass! I don't want you giving her those sorts of false ideas." I glared into his eyes for a few seconds before slowly letting go; worried I'd have to stop him from saying even more lusty things.

"Fine, I will say no more, mi vida. But, I still don't see how that would be giving Miss Hungary the _wrong_ idea." He leaned down to press his lips to my ears. "Because I very much want those things, Romano, and I'm pretty sure," he leaned closer so that he was whispering the words directly into my ear, "you do to."

"I-I-I do not!" I denied loudly, once again attempting to shove him away. "You don't know what I want. Besides, even if I di-did want y-yo-_that_, I would not let you tell Hungary anything about it. She'd want to watch." I shuddered at the thought.

"You would not have to worry about that, mi cariño" He vowed, nuzzling into my hair. "As I told France, you are for my eyes only. I will not let anyone else see or have that which is _mine_."

"Not yours" I grumbled, pushing him away carefully. I turned the fiercest glare I could muster on Hungary, who was mostly unaffected by it, probably too busy fantasizing about Spain and I together. "Hungary, not that I don't enjoy your visits, we both know I fucking hate them, but could you leave – and don't you start thinking that it's because I want to be alone with Spain – ."

"_Sure_, Romano" She shared a conspiratorial wink with Spain. "That's obviously not the reason." She turned around and started for the door. "I'll see you soon, Romano. Have fun, Spain. Romano, be sure to leave a few scratches on his back for me when you two start screwing like rabbits." She waved and was out of the door before I could tell her that absolutely nothing was or would be happening between Spain and I.

I watched the door shut behind her. I got out of that much better than I had expected to. Sure Spain's hands were still groping my ass while I was staring distracted at the front door, but for the most part I'd thought Antonio would walk in like the dumbshit he is or España would accidently walk in, see just where exactly Spain's hands were and go psycho on him. Had that happened I'd have been scrambling for an excuse rather than scrambling to get Spain's wandering hands off of my ass.

"Now," I glowered up at Spain as he spoke, "what was that about not being mine?" He rumbled, his eyes sliding to half mast and his lips quirking into a smirk as he observed the new marks he'd left on my skin while Hungary was here.

"Dammit, you bastard." I shoved him hard enough that he actually had to let go this time and stomped off towards the kitchen. Why was I so surprised every time I was reminded that he just wanted to screw me? That horny bastard would go after anyone he thought would present their ass to him. Sure that didn't explain why he was after me, but maybe that sick bastard just liked the challenge. Soon as he won he'd be off chasing someone else.

Well if there was one thing I knew, it was that I would never let that bastard have the opportunity. Like hell I'd end up underneath him screaming his name or all that other perverted shit he had said.

When I finally entered the kitchen, Antonio was back at the breakfast table. He smiled widely at me. "Hungary gone?" I just nodded and sat opposite him.

And what was with all these damn names Spain kept calling me? I probably should have been paying attention when Antonio was trying to teach me Spanish. Shit, the only thing I remember is how to ask for a kiss and that's only because I had used that line on Belgium back when I'd had a crush on her. It never went anywhere obviously since she saw me as a little brother and I eventually realized I just flirted with her because it made Antonio angry. Still, I probably should have paid attention.

Antonio asked me if I wanted him to refill my coffee for me. It was as I looked at him that I realized I could ask _him_ what all this crap Spain was calling me meant. No doubt they were insulting or perverted or whatever else that bastard could think to say.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, as I said before, I'll probably be updating next week on Wednesday or Friday. So I'll see you then in **_**Chapter 12: What's an Amado?**_** Please leave a review.**


	13. Ch 12: What's An Amado?

**A/N:**

**Thanks to all my readers and reviews, I seriously love you guys, ****Innovative Lucidity****, ****Worm Of The Books****, ****SpooNeko****, ****xnicehopex****, ****Neko-Yaz****, ****Lovi's Tomato Lover****, S.B, ****Airis Hanamori****, ****Verito.S****, ****lunynha****, ****KitsuneMagic48****,****Cancerous Galaxy****, ****LeAwesome****, ****Catsdon'tcry****. **

**Sorry for putting this up so late (and that it's so short; shortest chapter yet). I've been crazy busy this week and only just now had time to edit this chapter. Please read the author note at the end of the chapter. ;)**

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><p>"Lovi?" His head tilted to the side as I just stood there staring at him.<p>

Maybe Antonio could tell me what all those things meant. Spain said them, so they couldn't be good, right?

"Um, do you want any coffee?"

I mean, it would make sense that whatever came out of Spain's mouth was perverted. Lord knows that man can't keep his hands to himself; he's almost as bad as the fuckface. At least he's not worse than France.

"Mi tomate…are you feeling okay?"

Eww. Dammit, now I'm thinking of that perverted bastard. Ugh. I swear if he lays a hand on me again I'll kick him so hard in the balls he won't be able to speak properly for a year. Same will happen to him if he gropes Antonio's ass one more damn time. Don't think I didn't see his wandering hands at the Conference!

"Lovino, you're starting to worry me."

It's not that I'm jealous or anything, but that pervert should learn to keep his hands to himself! God, he just pisses me of so much –

I was jerked out of my thoughts when a warm hand wrapped around my upper arm. "Lovi, are you alright?" I flinched back, nearly stumbling over my own feet, but Antonio's grip held me in place.

"What? Yes! I'm fine, you bastard. Now let go of me, I've got a question to ask you" He gave me a startled look but released my arm in order to stare at me expectantly.

"Ask away, Lovi! If I know the answer I promise to tell mi tomate pequeño!" He vowed, ignoring my no touching rule in order to wind his arms around my shoulders and squeeze me into a hug. "Ahh, tan lindo!"

"Dammit, bastard. Quit hugging me!" He just shook his head and held on tighter. "Fine, whatever. What does, mi amado mean?"

Antonio's arms stiffened around me and he stopped nuzzling his cheek against the top of my head. His embrace suddenly became painful. "Where did you hear that word, Lovi?" Looking up I could see his face was pale and for once he was trying to look at anything but me.

"Why? Is it bad? I knew that bastard was calling me weird things" I snarled; already planning my retaliation on Spain. "If it's that bad, then all those other things he called me must be too."

"Wh-what other things, Lovi?" He voice sounded hoarse and his face was still unusually pale, but I had squirmed around enough that his grip was no longer bruisingly painful.

"Well, he called me corazón, and tesoro. He also called me cariño a few times. He says amante every once in a while. I mean, I know what that word means in Italian, but that sure as hell better not mean the same thing in Spanish" There was an audible gulp from Antonio at that one. Shit, what exactly was Spain calling me? "He only recently called me vida" I grumbled.

"Umm, well, uh. Tesoro means treasure" He whispered as if telling me some big secret. I suppose it would make sense for a pirate to call someone treasure; plus it was the same in Italian…I probably should have realized that sooner. Being called treasure wasn't really as bad as I'd expected, but it didn't sound really endearing either. "And amante means l-lo-lover –"

"Ha! I knew he just wants me for my body!" I'm not sure why that came out sounding so triumphant. That was _not_ a good thing. "What do the other things mean? He calls me amado the most."

"W-who calls you these things, L-lovi?" Antonio was blushing now. Damn, I don't think I'd ever seen him this red before.

"Spain, obviously" I rolled my eyes. Geez, Antonio has to have heard Spain say those things at least once or twice. He says them all the damn time and – holy shit! Antonio's entire face blossomed with color. "Mio Dio, and you call _me_ a tomato" He just flushed even more vibrantly at this. "Come on, what do those words mean?"

"I-I think you should ask Spain what those words mean, Lovi. It's quite obvious he cares about you a whole lot" The tomato bastard looked upset as he said this. "A lot more than I thought he did." Dammit, now I had to know what those words mean.

Shit, here goes my pride, "Please, Antonio," Fuck. I even stuck out my lower lip in a pout ", tell me what those words mean" Disregard what I said earlier, _now_ Antonio's face was redder than it had ever been. Damn, even his ears were tomato red.

"L-love-Lovi! Umm-I _really_ think you should go find Spain and talk to him about this. I – uh – I have to be somewhere else right now. Umm…over there! Bye!" His arms released me so fast I nearly hit the floor. What the fuck! He darted from the room as if his heels were on fire. I don't think I'd seen anyone, not even Feliciano, run that fast.

"Hey! Clean up the mess Hungary left!" I called after the bastard as he ran away like the coward he is.

I glared at the place where he had disappeared before spinning around to face Antonio's abandoned breakfast. I decided to clean up before I went off in search of Spain. Give myself time to mentally prepare for the impending molestation.

I really, really should have paid attention when Antonio was giving me Spanish lessons, because I'm pretty sure bésame wasn't going to be useful in the conversation I was about to have with Spain.

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><p>Spain wasn't standing where I had left him (next to the pool of Hungary's nose blood), but neither was Antonio; not that I had actually expected him to listen and clean up the mess. He had probably retreated to the tomato garden. Perhaps if I followed Antonio out there and pouted enough he'd tell me. That way I wouldn't have to go hunt down Spain and risk molestation.<p>

"Antonio!" I called out as I headed down the halls and outside. I heard feet as the scrambled in the opposite direction. Oh no, he was not running from me. I darted down the hall, my bare feet slapping on the floorboards. I swung open the screen door to the back porch only to hear the scrambling feet heading up the stairs back in the house.

I glared back in the direction I just came and was about to give chase when a head of curly hair caught my attention from out in the garden. As far as I was aware, Antonio was the only one who actually liked being out in the garden. That wouldn't explain who was running in the house though. España didn't run. Not from anything or anyone. Also, I couldn't see Spain purposefully avoiding me.

I tiptoed down the porch steps, my bare feet squishing softly in the damp ground as they padded across the small dirt path and into the garden.

I could hear the tomato bastard humming to himself as he kneeled next to one of my tomato plants. It had been a long time since I had heard that particular tune. I'd been a colony the last time I heard it. I didn't remember the name and probably couldn't if my life depended on it, it had been that long.

I snuck up behind Antonio, getting ready to tackle him to the ground if I had to should he run away. My heart froze as he stood up a tomato in hand and brushed the dirt off on his shirt.

Shit!

I stumbled backwards, away from the tomato bastard as quietly as possible. Should have known it would be him. I tripped backwards on one of the tomato vines, landing on my ass in the mud.

"Ow! Son of a bitch that hurt!" I snarled, knowing that there was no way I would be able to sneak away now.

Spain spun around, tomato still clutched in his hand as he stared down at me. A smirk slowly spread across his face. There was something ridiculously filthy about the way he looked down at me. "Ah, hola, me amado." He purred, offering me his other hand to pull me to my feet.

Shit. He had to call me _that_. Well, I suppose now was as good a time as any to ask him what exactly he was calling me. Damn that bastard Antonio for running off when I actually needed his help.

"What did you just call me, you bastard!"

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry this chapter is so short, there really wasn't much to put in this chapter, but to make up for it I'm posting the next chapter on Monday. Chapter 13: My Beloved**


	14. Ch 13: My Beloved

**A/N:**

**This is, again, a short chapter. For that I am sorry, but I believe you will still be happy with this chapter. I, as usual, would like to thank my lovely readers and my fantastic reviewers, Bre Lolli, Rhea Abgrund, DefineSugar, Innovative Lucidity, Verito.S, KitsuneMagic48, TomatoLovingItalian****,**** xnicehopex, Airis Hanamori, LeAwesome, Cancerous Galaxy, Lovi's Tomato Lover, MoriandMeForever****, ****BAYBAY841. I really do love you guys.**

**I know I promised some of you that in the summer I'd update twice a week. While I **_**will**_** be updating twice a week sometimes, I will not be able to update twice a week, every week. My summer job is too strenuous for that to be possible, but I will continue to update every Thursday, and sometimes on Monday or Tuesday.**

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><p>"I called you mi amado."<p>

"I know that, asshole, but what does it mean!" I crossed my arms and tried to glare up at him as convincingly as possible from where I sat in the dirt. I'd get an answer out of him one way or another.

Then again, did I even want to know what that meant? What if it was insulting? Sure none of the other things he said, or at least the ones Antonio had translated for me, were insulting, but who's to say this or the other things weren't? Worse yet, what if all the things were really perverted.

Never mind, I've already gone through all this trouble, so I may as well see it through. "Come on, bastard. Tell me what amado means."

"You do not know?" Spain questioned as he took my hand and pulled me onto my feet in front of him, not releasing my hand even after I was balanced. "I thought I gave you Spanish lessons" His brows scrunched together as he gave me a perplexed look. "You really do not know all the wonderful things I have been calling you, Roma?"

"Yeah, you gave me Spanish lessons, but I didn't learn anything from them" I growled, snatching my hand back from him so I could cross my arms once again. "So no, I don't know what any of these _wonderful_ things you've been calling me mean."

"I am sorry, my little Roma. If I had known you did not understand I would have tried to make myself clearer" He made to grab my hand again. "I did not wish for you to feel confused or insulted." I gave him an unconvinced look. "Honest! That was not my intent, Roma." Right, like I was going to trust the word of a pirate.

"Just tell me what it means, dammit!" I hissed as I tried to free my hand again. "I don't care what your intentions were. Actually, I'm pretty clear on your _intentions_" He'd even told me his intentions (plow me into a mattress) not too long ago in front of Hungary.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "While I may _want_ you, Roma, that is not my only _intention_ concerning you. If you would let me tell you what amado means, you would know."

"Fine, what does it mean?" I snarled, glaring back at him. As if that bastard wanted anything more than to take my vir – than to screw me and chase after the next target.

"When I call you mi amado, I do not call you so lightly. Perhaps at first I did, but my intentions…my feelings, have grown past the simple lust they once were." He let go of my hand in order to card his fingers through my hair. "I care for you deeply, Roma. I always have. Even when you were little, you were the only one I truly cared for, the only one I came home for. Grant it, not in the same way as I do now, but you are still the only one I really care for. I'm sure if you asked España he would tell you the same thing. Well, assuming he hasn't already."

I could feel the blush spread across my face, but I forced it and the embarrassment I felt back down. "That's nice and all, but you still haven't told me what amado means."

He ran his fingers through my hair a few times and smiled warmly at me. "It means, that you are my beloved, Roma" He leaned forward, using the grip on my hair to pull me closer, and kissed my forehead.

I shoved him away. "No." I didn't get very far since his hand was still in my hair. "You can call me whatever you want, but there is no way I'm going to believe that you actually l-lov-that you actually care for me like that."

The glare I received for my outburst did nothing to quiet me; I was too angry that he'd lie to me like this to give a damn about any repercussions. "I get that for some odd reason you want me, but you've been too much of a horndog for me to believe that you have any real feelings towards me. Especially not with all the other things you call me."

"The other things I call you?" He tilted his head to this side once more giving me a perplexed look. "Do you mean my dear? My darling? My treasure, my life, my angel, my lov –"

"Your lover." I hissed. "You call me your lover a lot, and last time I checked, lover implied that we were…involved – which we are not! That is most certainly not true. So if that's not true, how to I know any of the others are." I gave him a triumphant smirk. Let's see him try to justify himself now.

He dropped his hand from my hair and down to cup my cheek. "All of the endearments I call you are very heartfelt and sincere" He pressed his forehead to mine. Dammit, he was too close. Too close! Backing up was difficult if not impossible, since the bastard took my distraction as an opportunity to encircle my hips with his arm. That tomato he'd been carrying earlier still in hand and pressed gently to my side. "Yes, you are not my lover, not mi amante. But, I hope that one day you will be. Not just because I want you, but because waking up and falling asleep to your beautiful face every morning and night, would be more heaven than I deserve."

He starred down at his feet a few seconds, tightening the grip on my waist. "I hope that one day you will believe me, and see yourself the way I see you." He whispered against my cheek.

"D-dammit," I nudged him away from me, managing to free myself from his arms, "don't say such embarrassing things, bastard. Do you have any idea how corny you sound?"

He just laughed. "I do not see what maíz has to do with my feelings for you, mi amor." I flinched; I _knew_ what that one meant. "Now, I picked this lovely tomato for my beautiful amado, so I want you to have it." With this said, Spain held out the tomato to me. I eyed the red fruit cautiously, not that I honestly believe Spain did anything to it, but it never hurt to be careful.

As soon as I reach for it he held it high over his head and simply shook his head at me. "Ah ah ah, Roma. If you want this tomato, bésame." He purred, tapping his lips with his index finger. I decided not to point out that I could simply pick my own if I really wanted to.

Shit, should have known Spain would ask for something like this. "Hell no, you jackass. Just give me the damn tomato and I'll be on my way."

Spain's arm looped around my waist, the other still high above his head, keeping the tomato just out of reach. "I don't think so, mi amado. Come on, Roma, just one little beso." He pouted, as I grabbed onto his wrist and tried to force his arm down.

"No, you bastard!" I snarled. He jerked his wrist free and held his arm out slightly behind him, so I had to reach over him for the tomato.

He sighed. "Fine, you may have the tomato, mi amor" He grumbled, holding the tomato within reach.

"About time, jackass." I growled, reaching towards the tomato. My hand had just closer around the red fruit, when he pulled back again, pulling my arm with him and causing me to trip forwards. Bastard did this on purpose. You want to know how I know he did this on purpose? Because as I was stumbling into him, Spain released the hold on my waist so he could grasp my chin and tilt it up, so that my momentum forced our lips together.

Holy Shit.

Spain!

Spain was…

Oh God, no!

Spain was kissing me.

The tomato fell from my hand as Spain released his grip in order to wrap an arm around my waist again. The other hand tilted my chin up further to deepen the kiss before sliding back up into my hair. He hummed contentedly against my lips as the hand on my back tangled into my shirt so he could drag me closer.

I grabbed onto his sleeve, unsure what exactly my hand thought it was doing. Damn it to hell I was not enjoying it. This was my fir-first-oh…shit, where did he learn to kiss like that? All kisses couldn't feel like this, could they? Was this just something exclusive to Spain or had I been missing out all these centuries by waiting for my first kiss – not that I hadn't had the opportunity or anything, but I wanted-had wanted to wait for the right person – I don't fucking care how girly that sounds, dammit!

The swipe of a tongue on my lower lip jerked me back into reality and I punched that asshole in the face. "You-you-you bastard!" I quickly covered my mouth. "How-how could you?" I backed away from him. "That was my f – why did you…I – I…" Dammit, I was starting to tremble.

Spain rubbed at his cheek, "Damn, you hit hard when you want to, mi angelito." He chuckled. He started to smile down at me, but a look of confusion slowly started to cover his face. "What's wrong, mi amado? I'm sorry if I startled you, but I've been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you." Concern was quickly over taking the initial confusion. "Or-or did you hate it? I'm sorry, mi tesoro. I didn't think you would mi –." I shoved him away.

"Don't do things like that so-so sudden – I mean at all!" Spain smirked down at me. "And before you ask, no I did not like it…" _Much_ "I don't want you ki-kissing me. Not at all." Dammit, the more I talked, the more flustered I got. My face was no doubt the same color as the tomato I had just dropped.

"You didn't like it?" He teased. He slid his arm around my hips and pulled me against him again. "Is that why you've flushed such a beautiful color and why you aren't pushing me away." He stroked my back slowly. "You had me worried there, querido. I thought for a second you hadn't like it. Then again, you were kissing me, there was no way you couldn't have liked it." God, could his ego get any bigger. "Don't worry, mi amado, from now on I'll _warn_ you first."

I should punch him again. Right now. "That's not the problem, asshole!" He flinched, ceasing to stroke my back. "You stole my first kiss, you dick!" I'm not sure which of the two of us looked more surprised. I quickly covered my mouth again before I could let out any more embarrassing secrets. Spain starred at me for a few minutes, his eyes wider than I'd ever seen before and he blushed as he looked down at my lips.

"I-I am sorry, Roma." Damn right you should be! "I did not know" That's why you shouldn't kiss someone so suddenly. "On second thought, I am not sorry." Wait, what? "I do not want anyone else, man or woman, kissing you." He took my chin in between his thumb and index finger, pulling me closer. "These lips are mine and mine alone to kiss, mi amor." He purred, leaning forward to take another kiss.

I slapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't even think about it, bastard. Do _not_ kiss me again." I could feel him smirk beneath my hand. He started to kiss my palm, I should have known after the first time this happened.

"Your lips say no, but your eyes and your blush say yes, mi vida. Dios, if I had known that was your first, I'd have made it much more special for you, mi amor."

"No, they don't!" I snarled, half-tempted to cover my eyes as if that would convince him.

He snickered. "I'll just have to make sure your other _first_ is unforgettable." No, he did _not_ just say that. I can't believe that he would imply something like – oh wait, yes I can believe that.

"You know what, I'm out of here!" I twisted until Spain released me from his arms. I darted to the porch. "Do not kiss me again!" I yelled over my shoulder once I reached the porch.

I stumbled into the house to the sound of Spain's laughter. "I know you are just playing hard to get! I can promise you, I will work hard to earn you, mi amor!"

That damned bastard. So what if he honestly cares for me? Not that he does! But even if he did, he should know I'm not interested in men, especially not obnoxious Spanish men. Besides, I know that he just wants me for…he just likes my ass for some reason. If Feliciano were here, Spain would no doubt go after him. I'm sure of it.

Son of a bitch, I left the tomato back there. Well, there's no way in hell I'm going back for it. Spain will just try and kiss me again and I did not want that…not now, not ever.

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><p><strong>AN: Another short chapter, but the next one is much longer, I promise. I'd give you all the title for the next chapter, but it would give too much away. So until Thursday. **


	15. Ch 14: Nosy Veneziano

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry I didn't update last Thursday, work was starting to kill me. Usually by the time I'd get home, I'd be so tired I'd check my e-mail and then crash on my bed, only to go to work again almost as soon as I woke up.**

**Thanks to my reviewers, you guys rock, Humble Reader, Marina, Taylor, tsukihua16, Innovative Lucidity, MoriandMeForever, Anya3, BAYBAY841, KitsuneMagic48, Cancerous_Galaxy, Windup-Charmer, Airis_Hanamori, animebaka14, SinyaLAnweledig, Lovi's_Tomato_Lover, LeAwesome, watergoddesskasey, SpooNeko. Sorry if I forgot anyone, just got home from work and decided to edit/post, so I'm sort of loopy right now.**

**Also, since Fanfiction seems to be a butt recently and taking down M-rated stories (though it is unlikely that mine will for a while since it will be a while until the smut shows up) I decided to let you all know I have this story up on DeviantArt.  
>I actually started posting it on DA before I started posting on , but it didn't seem to garner much attention over there so I post more frequently here than there.<br>As it stands, I am three or four chapters behind on DA. However, if this story is taken down for some stupid reason, I will bring the story up to date on DA and start posting there instead. My username on DA is Writer-Girl-18. I'll eventually get around to posting a link in my profile…probably.**

**Without further ado, Chapter 14: Nosy Veneziano**

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><p>I was sitting upstairs at my desk, trying to finish up some paperwork my boss had sent me, since Feliciano obviously can't do jack shit, when the doorbell rang. "Great, who will it be this time?" Please, let it be anyone but Hungary. I'd even prefer those bastard friends of Antonio's over Hungary.<p>

I had just reached the foot of the stairs when I heard the front door open. Shit, which one of the tomato bastards answered the door? Or did Hungary simply break in?

"Roma, what are you doing outside," The voice was muffled through the wall but obviously exhausted. No doubt it was Spain. Ever since that stunt he pulled in the garden he has been stuck sleeping on the couch – don't you fucking say a word about how that make me sound like his wife!

Wait. Why would Spain think I was outside? He must be really sleepy if he's mistaken Hungary for me. Unless –

"Big brother Spain!" I quickly darted into the foyer, already knowing what I would see. Still, it hurt for some unknown reason to see my little brother in Spain's arms. Dammit, why was that bastard hugging back?

"Oh…Veneziano, it's you" He patted that damn airhead on the back, making no move to extricate himself.

I was thinking of stomping into the room, dragging Felicano out of my house by his hair, and then slamming the door on his face. Maybe I'd just shove both those assholes out the door so I would have to see them hanging all over each other. As I was getting ready to do just that, Spain nudged Feliciano away.

"Please do not hang on me, Veneziano" He insisted, backing away from him. I was starting to hope that Spain wouldn't chase after my little brother, "since I'm sure you would rather hug your big brother." That damn Spaniard reached back, slung an arm around my shoulder (how the fuck did he know I was there? I thought I was being sneaky) and forced me in front of him to stand before Feliciano.

I don't think I'd ever wanted to punch that cheerful smile off my brother's face more than I did right at the moment.

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><p>Though he did not hear that voice all too often, he would still recognize that high pitch, slightly dopey, perpetually cheerful tone anywhere. He also heard his slightly younger counterpart and his beloved Romano. Knowing that Spain was in the other room, no doubt being hugged to death by Romano's younger brother, España cautiously poked his head around the corner.<p>

Instead of being glued to Spain, as he worried North Italy would be, he was instead mugging his brother. "Ah! Lovi! I missed you!" "You saw me a week ago dammit" "Still too long, ve~" He would never understand that verbal tick of Italy's. If he didn't have that obnoxious habit, he might have liked him more. Still not as much as Roma, obviously.

He had just started to turn away from the scene with the intentions of heading upstairs since it seemed like Spain had everything in control and wasn't doing anything to hurt Romano, when Antonio walked past him. The damned fool almost headed into the foyer, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Italy. "Ita-chan is here! Why didn't you tell me, España? Excuse me, I have to go hug, cute little Feli!"

To Hell he was. España grabbed the back of Antonio's collar right as he took a step into the foyer and viciously yanked him back into the hallway. He then dragged Antonio towards the back of the house, his hand firmly clamped over the others mouth, preventing him from running back and doing something that would hurt his amorcito.

If he were to be completely honest, España didn't care if North Italy found out about his and the others' existence. He only cared that Antonio's stupid actions would cause Romano pain and heartache.

They exited the house and stepped onto the back porch; their retreating footsteps covered up by Romano and Veneziano's loud voices.

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><p>"Just tell me why you are here, Feliciano!"<p>

"Oh, ve, I was going to visit right after the World Conference, but Luddy said I had already visited you recently and I shouldn't bug you. But I told him that I hadn't actually seen you because you weren't there, ve. Then I remembered that last time you were at big brother Toni's house! So I went there, but you weren't there. So I went and told Luddy, but he told me to wait a while before I tried again. So I waited a whole week! Then I went back to big brother Toni's house but you weren't there and neither was big brother Toni. So I figured if you weren't at big brother Toni's house, big brother Toni must be at your house! So here I am, ve!"

"Dammit, Feliciano, I told you to call first." He just continued to grin stupidly at me. I could feel my hands ball up into fists as we stood there, staring at each other, something about Spain staring at my little brother like that hurt. The way his eyes track his every movement with disbelief. Fuck, he had finally come to his senses and realized that Feliciano was better than I was.

"Roma, can I talk to you for a minute." Spain asked pleasantly, grabbing my arm and dragging me away before I could reply. Great here it comes.

"Look, I know my brother is better than I am and – "

"You need to get rid of him. Dios, I don't remember him being this obnoxious! He's worse than Antonio. If I have to listen to him prattle on much longer I'm going to – what?" He froze as he finally registered what I said. He had his arms wrapped around me before I could even blink. "Better than _you_? Where would you ever get a ridiculous idea like that?"

"Why _wouldn't_ you like him better than me!? He's nice, he doesn't curse, he can clean and cook and paint and sing and -"

"Querido, you too can cook in case you have forgotten. I'm sure you are a much better chef than your little brother. España and Antonio would agree with me on this.

"I've never really cared much for Feliciano's paintings; they were always too…innocent and simple. They were not passionate and emotional as the little drawings and paintings you once made me were. But what do I know? It has been a while since I have seen either of you paint. But who is to say that he is better than you? Perhaps your styles are just different, si?" I noticed he seemed to skip over the cleaning part, but to be honest, I didn't really give a shit about being able to clean. I hadn't since I was a colony and Antonio had talked to Austria about…well about that thing I'd rather not remember.

"And I have heard you sing, mi amado. Your voice is beautiful and I have no doubts that Veneziano is nowhere near as good as you are. You are very enjoyable to listen too, mi cariño. Not too low as most men are, but also, not too high; as I suspect Feliciano's singing voice to be."

"When did you hear me sing?" I growled, getting ready to kick his shins if I found out he'd been spying on me…again.

"You sing whenever you cook, my little Roma. Do not tell me you were unaware. At the least, you must have noticed when España, or Antonio, or I, or even, all three of us have stood in the doorway watching you cook and listening to you."

"I thought you all were just being creepy" I mumbled, bowing my head to hide my blush.

"Do not hide those lovely eyes from me, Roma." He purred, tilting my chin up.

"My eyes are not lovely, bastard. Not like…not like Feliciano's."

"And what exactly is so great about your little brother's eyes that you feel shamed enough to hide yours from me?"

"His eyes are brown, and not shit colored like mine are, they're nice. Also, I – ."

"Roma." Spain pulled me close, nuzzling along my jaw line. "You're eyes are beautiful! Yes, Feliciano's eyes are brown, but yours could never be so boring as to be labeled with just one color." I reluctantly looked up at him as he cupped my face, pressing his forehead to mine. "I could look at your eyes forever, mi amor. I could spend centuries trying to figure out what color they are and never succeed. Sometimes I think they are amber or honey, but when I look again they are the green of peridot or of spring leaves or even olives. Other times they're all those things and so beautiful it takes my breath away. You're eyes are just as fascinating as you are, mi querido, so don't you ever put yourself down like this." He kissed my forehead.

"I could never love Veneziano. Not like I love you." He stole my second kiss, his lips pressing firmly to mine. Much like the first time, I stood frozen in place, unsure whether I wanted to push him away or grab unto his shirt in order to pull him closer and never let go (some girly shit like that).

He had just started to nibble my lower lip, pressing more insistently now, and tilting his head just so. Good god! I think I was just about to thread my fingers through his hair and pull him down to my level when a pointed cough from the doorway thankfully brought me back to my senses and I nudged him away.

Shit! I stared wordlessly at my grinning little brother. I probably looked stupid with my mouth hanging open like that. Feliciano's knowing smile made everything worse though. "I _knew _you two had gotten together! I told Germany when I saw you two at the World Conference, but he didn't believe me!"

Next thing I knew Feliciano threw himself at me in a hug, bringing the both of us to the ground. "I always knew it would happen eventually! I'm so happy for you, fratello!" He cheered, brushing his cheek against mine. "Oh! Wait till I tell Ludwig and Kiku and big brother Francis and Gilbert and –"

"Don't say a single word to those bastards, Feliciano" I hissed, shoving him off me. "And me and that-that tomato bastard are not together!" Spain was still glaring at Feliciano and had been since the moment he had interrupted our kiss–not that I had been kissing him back! And I wasn't about to either…so there.

"But Lovi! Of course you two are together. I just saw you two kissing. You were even kissing back, fratello."

"I was not!" Spain snickered finally turning his attention away from my brother so he could smirk down at me. "That bastard kissed me without permission and I was _not_ kissing back! That's the second time he's done that!"

"You've kissed him before, fratello? You really are together! You two are so cute together!" He clapped like the dumbass he is. I scrambled to my feet and put as much distance as possible between myself and that pasta-bastard. So what if that meant standing behind Spain and using him as a shield?

"We are not together and we are not cute!"

"I would have to agree with mi Romanito. He is not just cute, he is very beautiful." He once again slid an arm around my waist and forced me to stand in front of him. Fortunately this time it wasn't so I'd be forced to hug my stupid brother. Unfortunately it was so he could wind his arms around my waist and hold me from behind as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

"Okay, you two are not together." Feliciano teased, the smirk looking oddly fitting on his face. "You two have just grown closer. After all, you did willingly hold his hand at the Conference."

"I don't care what you think, Feliciano. Just get the fuck out of my house and go back to that macho potato of yours!" He just giggled.

"Oh, I see. You want to be alone with big brother Toni. I was interrupting wasn't I?" I could feel Spain nod and Feliciano shot me a wink. "Well, I suppose I should just leave you two alone. Don't worry, next time I'll call to make sure you aren't _busy_."

"AHHH! Fuck it!" I snarled, jerking out of Spain's arms. "Do and think whatever the fuck you want to, but Spain and I are not together!" I stomped out of the foyer leaving my little brother with Spain. Hopefully that pirate bastard would change his mind and chase after my brother.

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><p>He stared at Romano's retreating back. Okay, fine. He was staring at his ass. However, one couldn't really blame him. Anyone would, given the way the little Italian he wore those tight jean that practically clung to his ass and that he tended to sway his hips just the slightest bit when he was angry. Hate to see you leave, but love to watch you go and all that.<p>

As soon as Romano left the room Spain started to consider going after his dear amado and continuing where they left off. He'd have to chase Feliciano off first, so he wouldn't interrupt again, but it would be more than worth it if his amor actually kissed him back.

"I'm so happy that you and Lovi finally got together!" The smile on Veneziano's face is huge, but still not as beautiful as the timid rare little grins from his lovely Romano. Perhaps it is because they were so rare is what makes them so beautiful and sacred. They truly are just as much of a treasure, to guard and keep to himself, as his dear Roma was.

"Ah, thank you, Veneziano – ."

"If you do anything to hurt him I'll make sure your body is never found." He chimes in cheerfully; the overly happy smile still on his face. "Well, I'll see you around, Toni!" He practically skipped towards the door. "Remember what I told you." His eyes flashed dangerously for a split second. So quickly Spain wasn't even sure it ever happened. "Bye!"

…

Mierda.

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><p>It wasn't long after I heard the front door shut again that Spain rounded the corner and entered the living room. I was pacing back and forth on the floor, trying to figure out why exactly I had almost kissed him back earlier. It wasn't like I actually lov-liked that bastard. Plus, no matter what the bastard said about his feelings, all he seemed to really want was –<p>

"Hey, now that your hermanito is gone why don't we go up to your room and I'll _show _you how much I prefer you to your brother, si?" The handful of my ass he then grabbed only went to further prove my point.

"Spain, would you cut that out!?" I put distance between myself and that pirate's wandering hands. "Dammit, it's shit like this that makes me think you're a horny bastard!"

Spain dropped his hands to his sides. "Amado, I only want you. I thought we had already gone over this." He tried to slip his arms around me, but I ducked out of the way. "Roma, why is it so hard for you to believe that someone loves you? That I love you?"

"Maybe it's because you grope me all the time!" I hissed, backing further away from him. "Sure, you'll do something sweet every once in a while, but most of the time I feel like all you want is to get in my pants." Spain had the decency to look ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Romano, I'm just…I'm just not sure how else to act. How am I supposed to win you? I'll admit I'd like to charm you into my bed, that I've been trying to do so for a while now, but I don't want to give you up should I succeed. You're the first person I've ever cared so deeply for. You're also the first person that has not given in to my wants. I really want to earn your love, mi amor. I'm just not sure how."

Bullshit.

"Just keep your hands out of my pants, and stop whispering in my ear about all the perverted things you'd like to do to me."

Spain grinned. "Thank you for a second chance, Roma."

Say what now? Nothing in that sentence indicated that I was giving him another chance!

"I will try my very hardest to woo you in the way you deserve!" He darted forward and kissed my forehead before I had a chance to shove him away. "I shall see you soon, mi amor! Adios!" He departed from the room even as I started to fling curses after him.

Damn bastard. As if he had a snowball's chance in hell of wooing me.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm going to apologize in advance. I'd like to keep updating regularly, but I'll be on vacation for the next three weeks, so it will be highly unlikely that my laptop will be coming with me. If it does, it will be even more unlikely that I'll be able to get online and update. So, I would ask that you please be patient with me. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but please don't give up on this story.**


	16. Ch 15: Murder and Mafioso

**A/N:**

**I absolutely cannot apologize enough to you guys. I know I sort of just dropped off the earth there for a while. After I got back from vacation, which took longer than expected, my time was completely consumed by work, family, fiancé, and college. I really really want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews and messages while I was gone, and I'd like to name, message, and respond to you all individually, but I just don't have the time. I will pick up with that little tradition of mine in the next chapter.**

**I honestly have not given up on this story and I intend to see it through to the end if it kills me, but with how my school/work schedule is now, updates may be inconsistent. I however will not disappear again if it can be helped. If I do, you have full permission to spam me.**

**I already have the next chapter written so I'll probably update next Saturday. I have had the next chapter written since I went away on vacation; I just could not manage to make this chapter work as I'd wanted. I think I finally got it, but I'm not entirely pleased with it, so I'll leave it up to you to decide. Also, this is mostly dedicated to those of you España fans.  
><strong>

**Well, without further ado, here is Chapter 15: Murder and Mafioso (I hate the title, but I couldn't think of anything else to call it).**

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><p>It was early.<p>

Too damn early to be dealing with this shit.

I glared at the three men across from me. One was sitting in the chair opposite me; the other two were standing on either side of the doorway into the kitchen. There was a fourth man standing by the second entrance to the kitchen behind me.

I probably should have been worried, but it was early enough that my brain wasn't fully functioning just yet and it wasn't like these assholes had offered me any coffee after so rudely awakening me.

No, these bastards had just shown up on my doorstep this morning and pounded on the front door until the noise forced me out of bed and down the stairs (expecting France and Prussia, of course). It was a wonder the three tomato bastards hadn't woken up to all that racket. Yes, I meant three; I'd finally allowed Spain back into my room under the condition that he slept on the outside.

I suppose it wasn't surprising since Antonio could sleep through just about anything. However, I was surprised that none of them woke up when I'd squirmed out of their hold. They'd probably gotten used to me always leaving just before they woke up every morning to go make breakfast. Still, with how paranoid España is, he should be down the stairs any minute now and I had little doubt that once he was here, he would rip these men to shreds.

"Did you bastards have to wake me up so early? It's four o-fucking-clock in the fucking morning." I glared up at them from the chair I was tied to. "What is it you even want? I thought I made it clear last time I saw you fuckers that I wasn't going to let you boss me around anymore."

"You should watch your mouth when talking to us, Patria." The one sitting across from me smirked, letting his jacket fall open just enough to show he was armed. Like he had to remind me; I'd be an idiot to not have noticed that they were all armed. Every time they showed up wanting something they were armed.

Normally, I'd be shaking by now, struggling against the ropes that bound me. I'd have been begging them to let me go; because while it may not kill me, bullet wounds were a bitch to deal with and took weeks, even for a nation, to recover from.

Today would be different though and it would be different for two reasons. Reason number one being; I was just too tired and pissed off to be afraid right now. And reason number two, which was by far the most important reason; España was upstairs, and one distressed or pained cry from me would send, war axe in hand, charging down those steps.

"Ever since you saved that lazy fidanzato of yours, you've gotten really full of yourself, Patria. It's time you started working with us again."

Of course it would be about this. I should've known. Ever since I stood up to them a couple years back, they'd left me alone, but I'd known it was only a matter of time until they'd come back and bug me about this, and lo and behold here they were.

Well they could do whatever the fuck they wanted, but they would not ever make me regret saving Antonio's life. He'd been so severely sick, and he'd been in such deep economic shit, I'd thought he was going to dissolve (just like Grandpa Rome). I'd started to buy more imports from Spain. So what if it had put me into debt too? It was a small cold, nothing I hadn't quickly bounced back from. Even so, I'd had to fight them every step of the way to get together enough money.

"Look here you bastards. I'm not going to work for you anymore. And he is not il mio fidanzato. He's my friend, and I wasn't going to let him die because you wouldn't let me help him."

"We were in an economic decline, Patria, but you wanted to waste our money on that imbecille. We both know he wasn't going to die."

"You don't know that! He had it worse than I did." I sat up straighter so I could glare evenly with him. "To be frank, I didn't give a shit what you wanted then, and I don't now. Now get out of my house."

The man across from me sighed. "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, Patria." He reached to remove the handgun from his jacket. Shitshitshitshitshit!

"Look, what exactly is it you want?" I snarled, struggling to loosen the knots. "You never actually said anything; you just barged into my house at such an ungodly hour and tied me up."

He cocked the gun but kept it pointed towards the ground. "You owe us. We suffered to for your little stunt, Patria." Of course this was about money. It was always about money.

"I don't have any money on me, you dumbass. What the fuck exactly was it you thought I could do. I had to fight not only against you bastards, but my boss, to influence where that money went. It's going to take some serious work to get that leverage again, and this time I can't use the excuse that if Spain collapses, then Europe's economy would be in deep shit. So what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"Just convince your boss to turn a blind eye like you used to, Patria." He smirked. "Then maybe we can call it even. Or…you could work _with_ us as you did in the old days."

"Fuck you. I'm not helping you, voi figli di puttana. Now I'm going to warn you one last time to get out of my damn house."

"_You're_ warning _us_!" The man and his goons started to laugh. I knew I was digging my own grave, but these dumbasses were making a shit ton of noise right now. Enough noise to wake a sleeping Conquistador.

"Yes, I'm warning you to get out." I could hear stirrings from upstairs. España would be down here in just a minute or two.

The man looked up towards the ceiling. "Ahh, do you have company, Patria? Tell me do you care about the person you have upstairs?" He nodded towards one of the men by the door. "Maybe we can give you a little incentive to cooperate with us, sì?" I shook my head as the idiot rounded the corner out of sight.

"I hope you realize you just sent that man to his death" I said as soon as the other was out of earshot. España was not going to take kindly to strangers in my house, especially not this early in the morning.

"What are you talking about, Patria." He hissed. "You really think we're afraid of the puttana you have upstairs?" They laughed again. I could already hear the man's footsteps on the stairs and listened as closely as possible.

"What are you doing in Romano's house?" Their laughter quieted at the sound of the voice at the top of the stairs. The voice menacing enough to give even me chills. A few gunshots went off and for a moment I was worried about España. The worry quickly faded as the gunman's screams started to echo through the house and I could hear him tumbling down the stairs.

The men stared at each other as the house again fell back into silence. A couple moments later we all turned to stare at the doorway as we heard footsteps and a sort of sliding sound heading towards us.

The man who'd been questioning me stared dumbly, but his two remaining men were smart enough (or dumb enough depending on how you looked at it) to draw their weapons.

España walked into view; a bloody war axe in one hand, slung over his shoulder, and the ankle of the no doubt dead man in the other as he dragged him into the room.

"You do know you're going to be cleaning all this up, right, España?" I grumbled starring distastefully at the trail of blood he was leaving behind him.

"Of course, Romano." He dropped the dead man and turned to glare at the other three men in the room. "Now, is anyone going to explain to me just exactly why you have my Romano tied up to that chair, or do I just kill you now and let Dios sort it out? Please make it the last option." The psychotic grin was back in full force.

"This is none of you business, Spagna!" The man said as he rose from the chair, his knees trembling almost as much as his voice had.

"I'd rather you didn't maim them in my kitchen, España. Antonio just cleaned the place." He'd actually cleaned the whole house after Hungary's visit, I'd made sure he disinfected every surface. I myself had made a full sweep of the house for cameras or listening devices. I'd found four.

España turned to look at me finally, his eyes sweeping me over for any injury. "Though you do not appear to be harmed, I must assume that they threatened you, mi pequeño. So, as you should understand, they cannot be allowed to live."

I sighed as one put off. "Fine, if you must. At least take it out to the foyer." He nodded. The men backed away from him as he stepped further into the room, giving him a wide berth even though he was ignoring them for now. He kneeled behind my chair to untie me and I could see all three of them thinking about shooting him while he was distracted.

"I must warn you, that your bullets will not stop me. You have threatened that which is mine, and nothing will stop me from killing every last one of you for this crime." Damn, it'd been a long while since I'd seen España like this. "May the Lord have mercy on you, for I will not." The man closest to the second entrance fled through it and out the back door, his companion was quick to follow. The only one left was the man sitting dumbstruck across from me.

"I would suggest you stay there." España growled at him as he picked up his war axe again and left the room to hunt down the other two. I rubbed my wrist, hoping to get the blood circulating again. While doing so, I stared at the man across from me, who just sat there pale as a sheet looking wide eyed at the table in front of us.

"I did warn you." I told him standing up and heading towards the counters. He flinched away from me. "Well, if I'm going to be up I might as well have coffee. Do you want any?" He quickly shook his head. "Your loss."

I heard footsteps once again, and Spain stumbled into the kitchen "Romanito, what the hell is going on down here? You've almost made enough noise to wake Antonio. Where'd España go, I thought I heard him, and – who is he?" He snarled at the seated man.

I looked over my shoulder at Spain, who was currently a disheveled mess, with tired eyes and rumpled hair that had almost slipped completely free of the hair tie. "No one important, Spain. Do you want any coffee while I'm at it?" He gave me a confused look but finally shook his head no.

"What is going on, mi amado?" He kept his eyes on the seated man as he walked across the kitchen towards me. He slid his arms around my waist and nuzzled the back of my head. Spain was more affectionate than usual when he had just woken up, which is part of the reason why I always slipped away before the three woke up. "Hmm? Why are you acting like this, mi querido? You are never this polite this early, or ever, are you all right?"

"Shut up, jackass. And I'm fine." I twisted in his arms trying to get him to let go, but as most people know, Spain is a stubborn bastard.

"But-but he was just here!" Ah, seemed the man had finally come out of shock and was once again able to speak. "He killed – is killing my men! What-what is going on!?"

"Would you shut up?" Spain grouched. "It is too early for all your noise! If I had wanted to be annoyed I would have woken Antonio. Besides, I asked first."

I sighed. "This bastard and his men tied me up and tried to intimidate me so I'd cooperate with them." Spain's arms tightened around me and he glowered at the seated man. "I've gotten used to it. The damned Mafioso never seems to get the hint that I want to be left alone. España didn't take to kindly to my capture and is currently killing the rest of his men."

"That would explain why there is a dead body in the kitchen." He mused, looking over at the slowly bleeding corpse.

"You saw that? I thought you were just too tired to notice."

"Roma, how could I have not noticed? I had to step over him to get in the room."

"I don't know, maybe it was because you're first question was about how I was acting polite instead of 'Gee, Roma, why is there a dead man in our kitchen?"

"Aww, you called it _our_ kitchen!" He kissed my cheek. "I told you that I would get you to fall for me." He continued to cuddle me, forgetting about the other man in the room who was staring on us in horror.

"Th-there's two of him?!" He whimpered, starting to stand from the chair and casting shifty eyes towards the second entrance.

"To be accurate, there are three, but it's only the two you've met so far that you should worry about. I wouldn't do that if I were you. España told you to stay still." He quickly sat back down in the chair.

"You're handling this rather well considering that España is no doubt brutally murdering men in your house right now. Not to say I wouldn't have done the exact same thing had I been the first to rise."

"I figured España is going to do whatever he wants and since these assholes have really been pissing me off for the past few decades, I just don't care. Also, I told him not to make too much of a mess."

"So…If I don't make a mess, can I kill him? Or do you think España has something in mind for him?" Spain asked pleasantly.

"Nah, just go back to bed, Spain. I'll explain this all at a more reasonable time." He nodded.

"Will you be joining me, mi amor?" I shrugged. "In that case," He turned me to face him and held me close, pressing his forehead to mine. ", I shall see you later, mi tesero." He leaned down and before my sleep addled brain could register the movement, he pressed a soft kiss to my lips. And, I did not kiss back…as far as I'm aware.

"Whatever." I mumbled as I stifled a yawn. "Make sure Antonio doesn't come downstairs, not that I think he'll wake up, I'm not sure how he'll handle all the blood."

"I'm not sure how you are handling all this blood, Roma."

"I quickly got used to it as a kid when you'd come back from the New World all beaten and near death. Blood doesn't really bother me anymore. Plus, Hungary was just here a couple days ago and she left her blood just about everywhere."

He chuckled. "If you are sure. But just in case you have any nightmares tonight, know that I will be there to make you feel _better_."

"Just get out of here you pervert." He waved back at me before disappearing around the corner his laughter drifting back into the kitchen.

"I-I don't understand what's going on." I turned back to the nameless man. I'm sure he's told me once or twice over the years, but considering I'd wanted nothing to do with him or his damn Mafioso, I hadn't bothered to memorize it. "How is there more than one of him?"

"The hell if I know." I grumbled. "Just woke up like that one day." I shrugged, pouring myself a cup of coffee and then once again sitting across from him at the table. "He-They are rather unstable like this (not that they were stable before), so I'd suggest not saying anything to piss España off any more than you already have when he gets back."

"I know you, Patria, you may have stood up to us, but at heart, you are still a coward. How is it that you can live with him? Aren't you scared of him? What if he turns on you? As you said, he's not stable."

"They may have a few screws loose, but I know that España would never hurt me." I'd never even considered the possibility of España hurting me until this man mentioned it; the thought was just that ridiculous.

"Of course I wouldn't." Spain's deep voice growled from the doorway. I didn't have to look to know he was covered in blood, I could smell it before he entered the room. "Romano is very precious to me. I will always protect him and care for him, whether he is my colony or not."

España passed the two of us on his way to the sink. The man curled into the chair, trying to appear smaller, and I doctored my coffee. As España washed as much blood as he could off his hands, I considered whether his clothes were salvageable or if they'd have to be burned.

"I've decided, señor, that I am going to let you live." The man started to loudly proclaim his thanks but España continued talking as if he hadn't heard him. "But not because I think you should live. On the contrary," He turned to face us again, blood still splattering his face. ", I would like nothing more than to kill you for the pain and suffering you have caused mi pequeño." That shut him up real fast. "However, I'm going to allow you to live so that you can go back to your boss and tell him that Romano is off limits."

The man quickly nodded. "Of course! Anything! We'll never bother il patria ever again! I swear it on – "

"I'm not finished." Silence once again enveloped the room. "If you ever threaten, my Romano again, there will not be a place on this earth, not even in the New World, where I will not hunt you down like the dogs you are and kill you slowly and in the most gruesome ways I can think of." España could think of some pretty twisted shit as any native, had they actually lived, could tell you.

"I promise. Please, let me go. I have a family to return to and – "

"And Romano is my family and as I'm sure you understand, I will do anything to ensure his safety. Your life means almost nothing to me. Now get out of this house."

The man practically stumbled over himself, knocking the chair to the floor in his haste to get out of the door. I heard the front door slam shut behind him only seconds later.

"Are you alright, Romano?" He asked, reaching out to gather me in his arms. He realized right before he actually touched me that he was drenched in blood and backed away. "I-I am sorry, Roma. I …you are ashamed of me?"

"Where the fuck would you get that idea?"

"You flinched away from me."

"So? I didn't want to get blood on me."

"And you won't meet my eyes. You won't even look at me." He sighed and sank into the recently vacated chair. "You cannot hate me anymore than I hate myself right now, mi precioso."

I jerked, my eyes darting up to look at him. "I do not hate you, España." I rose to my feet and circled the table. I slowly rested my hands on his shoulders, ignoring how gross his shirt felt. "You – you were protecting me."

"No, I lost control. I could have just scared those men off; I didn't have to kill them. I killed them because I wanted to; even though I knew it was wrong. So so wrong." He buried his head in his hands. "I just convinced myself that if I didn't kill them, they would come after you again, and –" He looked back up at me. "I could not let them come after you again. I could not let them hurt you." His eyes darkened. "You are too important for me to lose." He dragged me down to sit on his lap and buried his face in my shoulder.

It was impossible to ignore the blood that was seeping from his clothes to mine now. "Dammit España, I liked these pajamas." I muttered softly, petting his hair. "Come on. You need a shower." I tried to rise to my feet, but his arms tightened.

"Just a few more seconds, Roma. I just need to hold you right now and make sure you are alright." I thought about shoving him away and stomping upstairs where I would promptly kick the other two tomato bastards out of my room so I could take a shower, but instead, I wrapped my arms around his shoulder and rested my head on his.

"I'm fine. I'm not as weak as I used to be. I have survived much worse in the time I have been my own nation. Those bastards do not scare me like they used to."

"I know for you it has already happened, but it is painful for me to know that I will one day be too weak to protect you and because of that, you had to face so much on your own."

I finally shoved away from him. "I'm fine now, aren't I? Don't worry about it, it's not like you could protect me forever, I had to eventually learn to stand on my own two feet anyways."

"No, Romano, you should never have to be alone like that. You should have told Antonio, _your _Antonio, long ago that this was happening. If I truly was a part of him, then I know there was no way he would have let this continue had he known."

"I-I didn't want to worry him…Let's go, I want to put something clean on."

"Okay, Romano." I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the chair, out of the room and up the stairs. "Roma?"

"Yeah, what now?" I looked back at him only for him to press a kiss to my forehead.

"Te amo."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've told me that already."

"I well and truly mean it." He vowed, clasping my hands in his. "Te amo." He leaned down and this time his pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I know you do not love me the same way, but I thought you should know, that you are worthy of more love than I could possibly give, but I shall try to show you just how loved you are." He cradled me close.

"E-España, don't say things like that. You're starting to sound like Spain." I slipped out from under his arms.

"Does Spain also tell you he loves you?"

"It's not like I believe him or anything, but yeah, all the damn time."

España smiled. And not one of those creepy smiles he was so good at, a genuine smile. "You really have no idea just how lovable you are, do you, mi amorcito?"

I snorted. "Am not. I don't care what you say I am not lova…" I stared wide eyes at him. "Amorcito?" He grinned again. "But I didn't think that. Whenever you say you love me I always thought you meant like family – "

"Yes, well, I haven't been straightforward enough I suppose." He flushed. I'd never seen the ruthless Conquistador so nervous. "I- uh – let's just get changed and go back to bed, Romano. It is still too early to be up and I'm sure they others miss you." He darted, or rather broke the world record for fast walking, down the hallway and out of sight in the guest room.

"Hey! Make sure you clean up the mess downstairs." I yelled after him, unsure whether he actually heard or not before he slammed the door shut behind him.

Okay, so if two thirds of Antonio's personality loved me in…_that way_, then what exactly was it that Antonio really felt for me?

Fuck if I know, and it's not like I'm going to known anytime soon since Antonio is an oblivious bastard and probably doesn't even know what love feels like.

…

Not that I know what either.

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><p><strong>AN: There it is. I hope I didn't disappoint you all with this chapter. As already mentioned, next chapter will probably go up next Saturday, Chapter 16: Coming to Terms. I'm highly embarrassed by the contents of the next chapter but I did my best and hopefully I do not fail you all. Until then, much thanks and love to you lovely readers.**


	17. Ch 16: Coming to Terms

**A/N:**

**You guys never cease to amaze me. Honestly, I freaking love you guys. I was sure most of you would have said "To hell with this story, I'm out!" so I am unbelievable happy that you didn't give up on it. Thanks to all of you who left reviews, yayforcarrots, xblood kittenx, Chrissymay, Katarzyna Krimson, MoriandMeForever, tsukihua16, animebaka14, MapleLeafPianist, LeAwesome, BeTrinh, black-misty-sky, Kawaii Rin-chan, roseprincess546, Kosaji, KitsuneMagic48, IAmACat, SaviieDinofish6411, lunynha, Bring Me The Memories, SpooNeko,****BAYBAY841, Cancerous Galaxy, watergoddesskasey, The Puzzler of Riddles, LinkinparkGxVyaoifan, Allers3, doiteain, The Cat Is In The Moon, I-am-the-Wolf, NatD-LE, and the two others who left reviews as guests. I'm sorry if I forgot anyone.**

**As promised, I did not take forever to upload the next chapter. I've had this chapter written since I went on vacation, but couldn't manage to write the previous chapter until a couple weeks ago. So please enjoy this chapter; if you need me, I shall be curled up in the box of shame, blushing all the way to my ears. I have never written anything like this, and I hope I will not let you down (please let me know if I do).**

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><p><em>Mi amor<em>

Lips pressed to the hollow of my throat with a heat that was almost unbearable and an intensity bordering on desperation. The kiss mixed with the pleasurable sting the well placed bites left, forced my head back and my spine to arch up and off of the bed.

My hands flew up to bury into soft curls and then gripped tightly as the lips started to trail up the side of my neck. They stopped along my jaw line, just beneath my ear.

_Is this good, mi Lovinito?_

I wanted to yell or scream, anything to convey that 'Hell yes, it's so so good! Oh god, please don't stop. Don't you dare stop!' but all that came out was a breathless moan and then a pathetic whimper as he chuckled against my skin.

_I will take that as a yes, mi amado_

I was being pinned to the bed, the weight of my partner keeping me down even as I writhed beneath him. He started to trail one of his hands down my chest, the other slipping under my back to support me as I arched (the arch may or may not have had something to do with how his fingers had grazed my nipples). I distantly wondered where my clothes had gone; for that matter where were his.

_You look so beautiful, flushing like this, amorcito_. _I have wanted you for so long. Will you let me have you?_

The answer was a resounding **No**!

Never!

If the answer was no, then why was I spreading my legs this easily?! I tried to stop them, but the grinding roll of hips against my own removed all thoughts of anything but the man above me and how much I _wanted_ him. I dug my fingers into the sheets as he grabbed the back of my thighs, hiked my legs up around his hips, and pressed himself flush against me; fitting perfectly.

_Ngh! Yo-you feel so good, L-lovi! Hah, I–I can't wait to be inside you, mi querido._

The words sent a shiver through me. They should have scared me, but they excited me too much to react in my natural manner (i.e. Punch to the face).

_May I, my love?_

"Ma-may you what?" I gasped, releasing my death grip on the sheets to instead wrap my arms around him.

_Have you?_

I shook my head even as I rocked against him, the friction so overwhelming I ended up begging. "Yes, oh, please. Please – want you – need – so bad!"

Dammit, where in the hell was this coming from? I would never act so shameful so…wanton. Regardless of that, as he pressed one finger and then a second into me, I still moaned like a whore instead of the virgin I was.

It should not feel this good. I'd always heard that this was supposed to hurt. Feliciano liked to explain in great detail his first time with that macho potato (God if that wasn't a turn off) and I'd been told just how much it had hurt to be…entered. But this? This was amazing! I was no longer sure why I had resisted Spain for so long.

_I'm going to – god you look so sexy right now, Lovi – I can't wait any longer. Nhh – I'm going to push - fuck - push in, mi amor_

I'll be damned if his cursing wasn't the biggest turn on right now. Especially since he rarely cursed and he never said that particular word.

My nails sank into his back, anticipating what was about to happen. I could feel him press against, not enough pressure to actually sink in, but just enough to make me squirm and attempt to push back.

_Te amo_

With that his hips snapped forward.

"Ah! An-Antonio!"

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><p>"<strong>NOOOO!<strong>" I jerked so hard I rolled out of the bed. "No dammit! Shit! Fuck! No no no no no! What the hell was that!?" I jumped to my feet, staring at my bed in horror as if it had caused that horrible drea-nightmare. "Dammit, this is not happening. Why - I know. This is all Spain's fault. That bastard! When I see him, I'm going to strangle him. I wouldn't be having weird gay thoughts like this, if he didn't keep kissing me all the ti – hah!"

My attention was turned to a certain "problem" that seemed to have worsened with the thought of Spain's stupid kisses. A look of horror once again spread across my face as I looked down at the tent in my pajama pants.

No. No. Nononono! "You are not allowed to have an erection!"I snarled at my disobedient body. "Most definitely not an erection resulting from thinking about that damned tomato bastard and his perverse kisses!"

The twitch said erection gave in response to those thoughts nearly sent me to my knees. Dammit, this was not happening. I was not getting aroused by thoughts of the curly haired pirate and his soft lips and emerald eyes and –

Fuck! My hand, of its own accord, had slid past the waistline of my pants the rub against the front of my boxers. I had to bite my bottom lips to suppress any moans my traitorous hand had caused.

"Fine! I'll admit that that dream-Spain or Antonio or whoever the fuck it was aroused me, but I sure as hell will not jerk off to thoughts of that dumbass!" This time my hips betrayed me and rocked into the hand still pressed against me. "Ffffuck!" I landed on my knees after the newest assault of pleasure.

I suppose it was fortunate that I had kicked the three tomato bastards out of my room. Ever since Spain had started to kiss me at every opportunity he could, the other two had been acting weirder than normal and I had banned them all from my room. So what if that meant I didn't get to sleep as easily since I'd grown used to being surrounded by their warmth? Plus, España had become ridiculously clingy ever since he'd run off the Mafioso.

I really considered how lucky I was that they weren't here to see or hear any of this when I started to palm myself, my hips moving in synch. I fell forward, still on my knees with my head bowed, touching the floor, as I braced my weight on my free arm, my nails attempting to grip the wooden flooring. I panted as my hand threatened to slip into my boxers and grab a hold of my erection and just start pumping until I came.

"No!" I snatched my hand away and pushed myself to my feet. "This is not happening!" I ran towards my bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind me even though the bedroom door had already been locked and there was no way any of the tomato bastards could have made it inside.

I leapt into the shower, quickly stripping off my pants and boxers, careful not to cause any unnecessary friction. Dragging my boxer down my erection had been almost painful I was so hard. I tried to quiet my gasps and moans but they seemed to echo off the tiled floor. I turned on the shower, as cold as it could go, hoping that would lessen, if not completely get rid of, my erection.

Normally cold showers work for me, not that I often had wet dreams, but morning wood wasn't uncommon for me (as a healthy Italian man). Of the wet dreams I'd had, I can assure you that none of them had been about Antonio. They _had_ been vague though…I'm still not sure who any of my previous imaginary bed partners had been or even what gender they were. I suppose it's possible that they'd been about Antonio but it's highly unlikely.

Look, the point is, it didn't work.

I was so hard that nothing, not even the shock of cold, could lessen my arousal, if anything, the rush of water on my naked cock made everything ten times worse. I had to catch myself on the glass door.

"I will not let that bastard affect me like this!" I stepped out of the direct spray. "I will not think about him and –" My hand once again betrayed me and slid down the front of my chest, much like dream-Antonio (or whoever he had been) did before loosely gripping my erection. "Hah! Oh…mm-no! I wo-on't!"

"This is all because Spain won't stop kissing me! If he would just keep his lips and every part of him to himself, this would not be happening! I'm not gay! I've never even had any gay thoughts until now. I most certainly wouldn't be thinking about kissing him back, nor would I want to more every kiss.

That bastard just won't stop! It was bad enough that he kissed me while Feliciano was here, but he had to keep kissing me even though I told him I don't like it. So what if I'd actually kissed back this most recent time, and so what if I'd even gone so far as to open my mouth and give Spain permission to enter? As soon as that pirate's tongue had touched my own, I had jerked away and run for the safety of my room. Maybe I'd been stuttering and blushing while I ran, but you can't prove it!

Memories of that kiss, a kiss that had happened just last night (and had contributed to all three bastards being kicked out of my room), made me tighten my grip and give my length a squeeze. I once again had to support myself on the glass.

"I'm not gay! I'm not!" I whimpered, trailing my fingertips up my erection to stroke the head. "I'm not am I?" I had to bite my lower lip again as I bucked into my hand and gently caressed my frenulum.

"Well, I flirt, but I never want to take it any further than that with those women. I think they're cute, but I'm not actually attracted to any of them. So I suppose it kind of, sort of, not really, makes sense.

"No! Think straight thoughts! Manly straight thoughts! Like cute girls and sports and fast cars and soft lips and green eyes and brown curls and big, calloused hands and strong arms and –

"AH! Dammit!" I pulled at my hair. "What the fuck is wrong with me! I'm straight, dammit! Straight!" The throbbing of the painfully hard cock in my hand reminded me that that statement might not be entirely true.

"I can't be gay. I'm Catholic dammit! Vatican would be so furious. Sure it's legal here, but that doesn't mean that it's accepted. Though I'll never understand why since Grandpa's empire seemed to have absolutely no problem with it, and I'm sure if nonno could have convinced Germania then – No! I will _not_ think about that!" Luckily the thought had lessened my arousal. Don't get me wrong, I was still hard, but it was no longer painful.

"Besides, I'm just coming up with…excuses. I can't be gay though. I've never been attracted to another male, just Antoni…oh…shit."

I stared down at my feet, or rather I would have but a certain persisting issue was in the way. Once again, thoughts of that dumbass had me hard to the point of pain. "Dammit, Spain…" I swiped my thumb over the head, toying with the slit, and spreading pre-cum; pleasure ripped through me. I leaned my head against the glass doors for support, as my free hand started to trail my chest again, trying to recreate the dream. My hands were too soft and my fingers too slender to really trick myself into believing it was still Ant-him that was touching me, so I used an old failsafe.

I ran my fingers through my hair, winding that curl around my finger and tugging carefully. The resulting moan was so loud I was afraid that any second one of the tomato bastards (or all of them) would show up.

I continued to circle the head and run my thumb along the vein on the underside; all things that usually got me off or brought me to the point of being hard enough to orgasm with just a little teasing, like rubbing my head or slit.

Teasing wasn't working this time; I needed to come so badly that I didn't care if those bastards heard anymore. I switched to firmly stroking my length and bucking into my hand. I could feel the knot beginning to form in my lower abdomen that signaled I was close. I hadn't reached climax this quickly since I was a "teenager" first discovering to joys of masturbation and fumbling to reach completion.

I only had time for one more stroke and a tug of my curl, before pleasure exploded through me. "Ah, An-Antonio!" I continued to pump my fading erection until doing so became too tender. Even though doing so was beyond embarrassing after having yelled _his _name during climax I couldn't stop myself from drawing out what had to be one of my most intense orgasms for as long as I could. I'm not sure what was most embarrassing, that I'd never yelled out anyone's name or that the first person name I'd ever yelled out during climax, was Antonio's..

"Okay. So maybe I'm gay for-for the tomato bastard." I starred at the result of my release, the fluid painting the glass sliding door, which were completely fogged up after that, before the water washed it, as well as any evidence, down the drain. "But…what would happen if I accepted Spain's advances? Or if I told him – them, that I lo-actually could tolerate them?" I stepped from the shower, my heart sinking. "Besides, it's not them I really want, is it?" I whispered, thinking back to the dream that had caused all this; even after coming, my cock gave a twitch of interest at the memories.

"Dammit, Antonio you dumbass, you just had to go and get into all this trouble and make me realize all this shit."

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I just realized the title of this chapter is a pun, I swear I didn't plan it that way when I titled this chapter. *Goes back to her box of shame***

**Anyways, sorry this chapter was so short, the next chapter, which should be up a week from now, will be a rather long chapter if I don't decide to divide it. For those of you who actually enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry to say there shall be nothing like that again; at least, not for quite a few chapters, maybe not until the end of the story. **

**While I have the next few chapters as well as the ending chapter planned out, there are still a lot of chapters left and if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know. I've already got one wonderful idea from one of you lovely readers. So yeah, that's about it for this chapter. See you next week.**


	18. Ch 17: Confronting the United Kingdom

**A/N:**

**Sorry, that took a week longer than I thought it would mostly because this is a longer chapter and I was sick all of last week. I'm all better now and back to writing Spamano.**

**A huge thanks to my lovely readers and to all of you who left a review, ****aku02****, ****PastaCakeVe****, thatshyanon****, ****Chrissymay****, Teh Awesome Anon, doiteain****, ****Epic Hero Laugh****, ****yayforcarrots****, ****scarletnight72****, ****SirNekoGeorge****,****SaviieDinofish6411****, ****Neko-Yaz****, Foreign Language, ****xblood kittenx****, ****black-misty-sky****, ****Kosaji****, IAmACat, ****Cheetay****, ****SpooNeko****, ****lunynha****, ****Allers3****, ****b4ndg33k****, ****The Puzzler of Riddles****, ****KitsuneMagic48****. Sorry if I missed anyone. I'm glad you all liked the last chapter despite how it was my first attempt at anything remotely M-rated. **

**I hope you will all like the chapter, there will be some other pairings in this chapter, but they are briefly mentioned and not important to the plot. That is all, enjoy:**

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><p>I've been putting off this trip for too long. Not because I was afraid of that eyebrow-bastard or anything! Okay, everyone knows that's a complete lie, but I have perfectly good reasons to be afraid of England. He was a complete dick to Antonio in the past and he's still terrifying and cold to anyone except maybe America, even then there are times. That and his cooking sucks and if I go over there, I might have to eat there and that would be a fate worse than spending the rest of my (almost immortal) life stuck with three-tomato bastards.<p>

Anyways, that's not the main reason why I've been procrastinating. Really, it's because I had no clue how to lie to those three tomato-bastards about where I was going, since they'd never let me go to England's, especially not by myself. If they even though I was planning to go to England's, they would lock me up or keep me under constant surveillance.

However, I had discovered a way to trick them and after, well, after those stupid dreams I'd been having for the past week, now was the perfect time to leave. Maybe if I was away for a few days they would stop. It'll be good for me to be away from Antonio's embraces, Spain's kisses and occasionally wandering hands, and España's affection before those stupid dreams push me into doing something stupid. Perhaps if I had time to think about all of this those dreams would stop. At the least it would mean I could avoid Spain and his damned kisses for a while.

"Tomato-bastards, where the fuck are you?!" I yelled from the living room. Assuming they were inside, they would hear me and show up sooner or later. España was the first to show up, wearing a scowl, because of my language. He didn't scold me anymore, finally realized I wouldn't stop cursing. Spain slithered into the room next and sidled up to me, attempting to slip an arm around my hips. Antonio showed up last, gave Spain what could be considered a glare, a weak one at that, and sank into one of the couches.

"Oh, so I'm…" Shit. This lie was never going to convince them. They all know me well enough to know that there was no way I was "Going to go see Feliciano." They all knew of my general dislike for my dumbass little brother and my hatred for being around that macho potato of his.

"Oh! Can I go with you, Lovi?!" Well of course Antonio would believe me, but the other two wouldn't.

"Fuck no!" I snarled. I did _not_ need to see Antonio hanging of my little brother and tell him how cute he is – wait one fucking minute! I wasn't even going to see Feli. I was going to go see England and there was no way even Antonio was stupid enough to believe that when the plane landed we were in Germany and not England.

"I must insist that one of us goes with you, Romano." España stood up from the armchair and nudged Spain away from me so he could take his place.

"Yeah, so you can go psycho whenever someone accidently bumps into me? Or so he can feel me up in front of my dumbshit brother? No, not going to happen. My brother's an idiot, but that potato-bastard of his is smarter than he looks. He would know something was off."

"Why exactly is it so bad that the rest of the world find out that we have been divided? Don't you think they could help?" And here I thought Antonio was the naive one.

"No, I don't! I think some nations would try to manipulate Antonio cause he's a gullible bastard; someone, probably Netherlands, would try to piss you off and start another war and basically just cause a bunch of shit."

España sighed. "Alight, Romano, but do not stay away too long."

"Or you'll get paranoid and slaughter half of Europe trying to find me, I get it." He gave me a dark look, albeit not very threatening since España would never actually hurt me and never stayed angry with me for long, but it still shut me up real fast.

"When are you going to be leaving, mi amado?" Spain pouted, studying España, no doubt calculating how to get rid of the Conquistador so he could reattach himself to my side.

"In the morning, I've already booked my flight. I'll call you," I nodded towards Antonio since he was still the only one who understood the concept of a telephone (If only just) ", once I get there."

"Okay, Lovi!" Antonio chirruped. "Do you need help packing? I can help!"

"No, you bastard! I've already packed."

"So you were going to leave whether we agreed or not?"

"Yeah, I _was_, España. I'm not your prisoner." His eyes narrowed and when I tried to shove him away, his arms constricted around me. Oh shit, probably not the smartest thing to say right now when I had just convinced them to let me go.

"No, you are not my prisoner, mi precioso, but you are mine to protect and I will to the fullest of my cap– "

"Calm down, España. You're scaring him." _Bullshit!_ "Even had Roma left without permission, you should know he'd come back. He'd miss us too much. Well…he'd miss _me_ at least." He smirked.

"Since when did I need you bastards' permission!?"

"You did ask, Roma, so obviously you seem to think you need it." God how I wanted to punch the smug look off that bastard's stupid face. Damn Spain.

"I wasn't asking. I was telling you, dammit!" I squirmed my way out of España's hold only to be caught by Spain.

"How long do you think you shall be gone, mi amor?" He had his fingers carded into my hair and one arm looped around my torso.

"Two, maybe three days." He tilted my head back, forcing me to look up at him. "Try not to burn the house down."

"Of course not." He pressed his forehead to mine. "Will you miss me, mi Tesorito?" He whispered.

"The hell I will." I snarled, shoving him back.

"He smirked again, "You will miss me," He said confidently.

"Yeah, like a kick to the face."

"You will miss me too! Right, Lovi?" Antonio gave me those damned puppy eyes.

"Enough with the face. I guess I will, maybe, sort of miss all of you…except Spain!"

"Ah, that is not fair, mi amado." Spain whined.

"Yeah, well neither is it fair that I have to deal with three tomato-bastards on a daily basis."

"You know you love us," He purred, nuzzling his nose along mine, ignoring the ever increasing risk of getting a headbutt to the face.

"I do _not_ love you bastards. Not a single one of you." Antonio looked crushed, España sort of glared at the floor, and Spain faked a pout.

"Suuure." Spain once again tilted my face up, this time he placed a kiss on my lips. That damned kiss that caused all those fucking dreams…perhaps fucking wasn't a good description of those dreams, or perhaps it was an all too accurate description – but! Point is, those stupid kisses were the cause of all this and the main reason why I needed to get away. Even now this kiss was bringing back memories of the dream I'd had just this morning.

Dammit, I could feel my initial anger slipping away and a desire to, for once, kiss back rising. Those stupid, full, pouty lips that were too soft to be real; especially when you think that as a pirate, Spain's lips should have been chapped from over exposure to sea water. Even those warm hands that played with my hair were lulling me to submit.

"**Spain!**" I could feel him smirk against my lips right before he slowly pulled back, nipping my lower lip. He gave España an unconvincing innocent look; then again, it's probably impossible to look innocent when you're groping someone's ass.

España looked positively murderous; sort of like how he looked when the Mafioso invaded my home, multiplied by a hundred.

Antonio on the other hand looked torn between blushing with embarrassment as his mouth hung open and looking depressed, his eyes looking only seconds away from watering.

"Lo-lovi, I thought you said you did not like Spain in that way?" España and Spain both looked towards the more innocent personality. "I…"He smiled, but it looked somewhat forced. "I should be happy for you?" Dammit. I did not have time to sift through Antonio's feelings and discover what the fuck was wrong with him.

"Fuck it!" I kicked Spain's shins, forcing him away from me. "I'm going to be in my room until I leave. If you need me – don't!" I stomped from the room, making a show of wiping off Spain's kiss. "_Maybe_ I'll say goodbye to you assholes!"

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><p>So, I ended up saying goodbye to those jackasses, but I assure you, I did not willingly do so. Those bastards ambushed me on my way out of the house. Antonio seemed to be in a better mood and practically clung to me as I walked towards the door. Spain tried to give me another kiss, but España grabbed him by the back of his collar and hauled him away.<p>

I all but dove into the car to avoid the calls to be safe and escape the endearments "amorcito", "amado", "mi tomate" that were thrown after me.

I had called a taxi since I still refused to drive Antonio's Ibiza (I really needed to get my Ferrari back). I suppose that would just have to wait until I got back from this trip.

The trip to the airport took too long; there was too much traffic and not enough of a distraction from said traffic in the form of a rambling, dopey-eyed Spaniard. If I really had been going to visit my brother, I probably would have taken Antonio with me – not because I'll miss him, but because he'd serve as interference when Feliciano's stupidity became too much to bare. I'd have practically thrown Antonio at my brother and fled the room while they talked about whatever it is dumbasses talk about when people who actually possess a brain aren't around to hear them….probably rainbows or some shit like that.

When I finally got to the airport, it was too damn loud and since I was not here to go to a World Meeting, I could not bypass all these people. Dealing with Fiumicino International Airport was much more tedious when you had to actually deal with humans. It was fortunate I had already booked my flight, so there was less hassle. Still, by the time I was finally on the plane to London I was too tired (I hadn't been able to sleep last night since all three of the tomato-bastards forced their way into my room again), too stressed and just too tempted to tell the mother in front of me to silence her screaming child or I would backhand the little fucker for her and _give_ him something to cry about, to relax.

The flight to London was hell, I'd had to first fly to Venice to get on another flight to London, and on the flight from Rome to Venice, that same damned kid would only shut up for a minute or two. Then on the flight from Venice to London, the little bastard behind me kept kicking my seat. In other words, I didn't get any sleep, so I would undoubtedly be in an even bitchier than normal mood when I saw England (which may or may not work in my favor and actually give me enough courage to confront the eyebrow-bastard).

I landed in London Southend Airport, and while the airport itself was nice since it was smaller and less crowded than Fiumicino was, I was dreading walking outside.

I'd only been to London on a handful of occasions for World Meetings, and each time, I went home hating London just a little more. It was always too cold, too dark, and with hardly a glimpse of sunlight anywhere, it was damn depressing. Maybe that was just me though. I hate England for the most part, so it wasn't hard for me to hate his capital city.

It was only when I finally left the airport and started to call a cab that I realized I had no fucking clue where England lived. I'd just assumed he lived somewhere in his capital like most countries did. Not that Antonio and I lived in our capitals…nor Feliciano…Or America…Or Prussia (not that he had a capital anymore)…Or – fuck. So much for that plan.

The only nation I knew that actually lived in his capital was France, but he was usually too busy molesting other nations to stay at home for long – Double fuck! England might not even _be_ home. He could be visiting his brothers (like I was "supposed" to be doing) or even that burger-eating-bastard.

Then again, like me, England is rather anti-social, a lot more than he used to be, so it was likely that he was at home. Now if I could actually find the damn place.

I could always call my boss and ask him to ask England's boss, but then he'd start questioning me about "What the fuck do you think you're doing near England?!" and "Don't you dare bring back any of his cooking." As if I would.

I could call America. We're sort of friends, or at least, I'm friends with Canada and if anyone would know (besides Hungary because that crazy bitch knows where everyone is all the fucking time) it would be America.

Now, I just have to hope his number was in my phone. Most nations were by necessity, but there was always a chance that a nation had pissed me off and I'd deleted their number. Fortunately America hasn't seemed to have pissed me off recently since his number was one of the first in my list of contacts.

"Hello? This is Alfred F. Jones the Hero."

"I know who the fuck it is, America, I'm calling you, not the other way around."

"Hey, you sound like this angry Italian I know. Is that you South Italy?!"

"Of course it's me, idiot."

"Cool! So what are you doing calling me, dude?"

"I'm in London Southend Airport right now and I was wondering if –"

"Dude! I'm, like, there too!"

"What?!" I looked around me at all the people on the streets. I didn't see that bomber jacket America always seemed to wear. "I don't see you anywhere, bastard." I grumbled into the phone.

"Um…oh hey! There you are! Turn around. I'm waving at you, dude."

"Yes, I can see that, you dumbass – dammit what am I doing?" I quickly hung up on the bastard since it was easier to just go over and talk to him.

"So what are you doing here, America?"

"Dude, it's Alfred, or Hero!" He struck what he probably thought was a dramatic pose. "And I am visiting Iggy."

"Iggy?"

"Yeah, Arthur."

"…Oh, you mean England."

"Well, duh. Who else would I be here to visit?"

"How the hell should I know?!"

America just smiled. "So, what are you doing here, older Italy?"

"My name is Romano, you jackass."

"It is? Then why does Spain call you Lovi?"

"Because he's a bastard," I grumbled. ", and it's none of your business what I'm doing here!"

"Then why did you call me, Romano?" Shit, he had me there.

"Okay, I'm also going to visit England." His eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. "I have to talk to him about….something."

"So you called me because you needed directions then?" Damn, this bastard was smarter than he acted. Though I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised with all the science and math stuff that his people have discovered.

"Yeah, I have no clue where England lives. Probably should've thought of that before I got on the plane this morning."

"That's okay, dude." He laughed at me, that asshole. "Lucky for you, the hero is here to help." Someone kill me. "Come on, Iggy lives in Essex. I'll call us a cab."

"You're even luckier that you didn't land in London _City_ Airport. You would've never found Arthur."

"Yeah. Lucky me." _So _looking forward to sharing a cab with America for the next hour or so.

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><p>And so began the cab ride from hell. I do not believe America understands the concept of <em>Shut-the-Fuck-Up!<em> Cause if he did, I would not be so tempted to bash my head against the window until I lost consciousness. The bastard could blather on about anything in his loud obnoxious America-ness. Even the cab driver looked like he was seriously contemplating swerving off the road and putting an end to our misery.

" – and that is why Can…Cama…That guy who lives above me carries around a polar bear."

"His name is Canada, you dumbass. Isn't he your brother?" America shrugged. "You should know your own brother's name, dipshit. I doubt you even know his human name."

"Uh…I do, but…I can't think of it right now." I rolled my eyes at him. "Hey, it's not like you know either!"

"It's Matthew."

"Really? I thought he was a Nathan or maybe a Mason." Dios, and I thought I was ignored. At least my brother knew my name. I should probably hang out with Canada sometime. The only ones who even seemed to actually notice him were Prussia and myself. Sometimes France. And those two jackasses sure as hell weren't good company to keep.

"You are the _worst_ brother ever."

"Am not! Philippines and I get along really well; and Mexico and I sometimes – oh hey! We're here!" He practically launched himself forward to hang over the passenger seat. "Yo, Cabbie, you can stop here." He pointed, waving his arms spastically to the right. I could see the poor man's relief and his thought of "Thank God!" as the two of us exited the cab was almost visible. "Thanks, dude!" America paid the cabbie as I stood at the end of the driveway.

England's house wasn't a small house, but it wasn't ridiculously large like Antonio's house. It was more like an upscale cottage. There were tall trees on all sides so that the neighboring cottages were blocked from view and the only opening in the trees was barely large enough for the driveway. The driveway continued past where the cabbie was parked, but was blocked by a large gate. I'm pretty sure the gate was just for show, but the fence seemed to wrap around the house, past where I could see. Inside the fence I could just barely see a small garden that sat in front of the covered porch. There was also a two car garage, with a second floor over it that had these tall three paneled diamond windows over each garage door.

"Well don't just stand there, Romano," He latched onto my arm and dragged me through the gate and towards the stepping-stone walkway the cut through the little garden to the two-step tall porch. "Let's go inside."

Now that I was standing in front of England's green door, between the potted plants that framed it, I lost all the courage I had mustered and wanted nothing more than to turn around and jump back in the cab. However, when I turned around, the cabbie was peeling out of the driveway to get away and America slung an arm around my shoulder to keep me from running straight back to Italy and using those tomato-bastards as a shield – dammit. I forgot to call those tomato-bastards.

"Give me a sec, America, I have to call Spain and let him know I landed safely."

"Dude, Spain actually let you visit Arthur? Don't they hate each other?"

"Yes, yes they do. And he…sort of let me go."

"Why do you need to call Spain anyways? It's not like you two are living together." (Correct, the _four_ of us are living together – for now). "I don't call Iggy whenever I go somewhe – _oh_…" He gave me a shit-eating grin. "So you and Spain, huh?"

"What…no! Shut the fuck up, America. It is _not_ like that," I growled at him as I dialed my house number and stepped away from him towards the far end of the porch, leaning against the railing as I pressed my hand to my other ear to block out background noise (ie. The road, the birds, the wind, America).

"_Sure_ it's not." I flipped him off as I pressed the phone to my ear and listened to it ring.

"¡Hola!" A cheery voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Dammit, Antonio, don't answer my phone like that."

"Oh, okay…Ciao?"

"That's better, kind of. Well, I'm just letting you know I made it safe. Sorry I didn't call sooner, I forgot"

"Good, España was starting to worry since I told him you should've landed at Germany's a couple hours ago."

"No, I'm fine. My flight was delayed for a bit."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Lovi."

"Not your fault, bastard. Well, that's all. I'll call you before I leave…maybe. Ciao – "

"Wait, Lovi!"

"What is it, you bastard?"

"The others want to talk to you too."

"Fine, but make it quick." I muttered, throwing a glance at a still smirking America.

"Here, Spain…No, you're holding the phone upside down…no…um…now I'm confused." _Of-fucking-course_. "Ah! Here, this way."

"Ah, yes, I see. Roma?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Ah, my lovely Roma! It is so good to hear you even if I cannot see you. This really is a most wonderful device. Why didn't I have one of these before? Then I could have called my little Roma whenever I wanted."

"Because they weren't invented yet, you dumbass. Also, in case you forgot, I was a kid back then. It's not like you missed me that much back then or you'd have been home more."

"Not true! I missed you terribly when I was away, mi amor, and I miss you now. You miss me too, yes?"

"Yeah, sure, I miss you."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"You know, there's this wonderful thing called sarcasm, Spain."

"Whatever you say, mi amado. You miss me."

"Spain, let me talk to Romano."

"No, España, you will get your turn later."

"You have already bothered him enough. It is my turn to talk with mi amorcito." I could feel myself blush all the way to my ears and could hear America trying and failing to hold back a snort.

"Give me the phone, Spain," He growled right before what sounded like the phone being dropped to the ground and then more snarls and scuffling.

"Sorry we dropped you, Lovi." Antonio must have picked the phone back up as Spain and España continued to fight. "I don't think they're going to stop fighting anytime soon, Lovi."

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell España that I'm safe and he doesn't need to sharpen the war axe. "I'll talk to you later I suppose."

"Okay. Bye, Lovi!"

"Bye, Antonio."

"Te amo, mi tomate!"

"Don't say things like that, you bastard!" I know he didn't mean it the same way España and (maybe) Spain did, but it still caused another blush to cover my face which in turn got another giggle out of America. "You don't even know what you're saying." I hung up on him before he could reply.

"Not a single fucking word out of you, America." He didn't say anything, but continued to snicker at me. "Just knock on the damn door already!"

"Alright, dude, just calm down." He finally managed to quiet his laughter when he knocked on the door. Instead, he was now bouncing on his toes, looking much too happy to be seeing the country he had to fight for independence. Although, I suppose that had been a long time ago and they hadn't really fought since then. Plus, America _barely_ had a better attention span than Feliciano, so he probably couldn't remember to hold a grudge for long.

"Be there in a second." I wanted to run again when I heard that voice from the other side of the door. The door swung inward before I could make an escape plan.

England stood in the doorway, looking a little too dressed up to be staying indoors. "Hello, Alfred." I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes, but as England looked at America I swear that the corners of his mouth started to turn up into a smile. It vanished completely when he noticed me standing just slightly behind America. "Oh. Hello, Romano." He sent America a glare. "What are you doing here?"

"I – uh – I have to talk to you," I stammered, those acid green eyes were pinning me to the steps.

"About what?" He crossed his arms and looked like he wanted me gone just as much as I wanted to be gone. America looked between the two of us, unsure whether to interfere or not.

"About Spain." England's bored stare vanished as his face paled. He glanced anxiously at America, which of course piqued the younger nation's curiosity.

"Let's go inside." England stepped back and opened the door wider, letting America and I in, even if he did look as if he wanted nothing more than to slam the door and lock the both of us outside.

"What about Spain?" England stuttered. If I hadn't thought he was guilty of what happened to Spain before, I was _sure_ he was now.

"Romano, did something happen to Spain?" America asked, looking genuinely concerned. "Weren't you just talking to him on your phone?"

"America." We turned to look at England. "Could you leave Romano and I for a few?" It was an order more than a suggestion.

"No, Iggy. I want to know what's wrong with Spain. Maybe I can help. Romano's my bud, I want to help him."

"Don't call me Iggy!"

"You are not my bud!"

"Look, America – "

"Alfred. I've told you many times to call me Alfred." The two glared at each other.

"Fine. _Alfred_, could you please leave? This doesn't concern you and you can't help." I wasn't sure why he was trying so hard to hide this from America.

"No." America turned to me. "What happened, Romano?" England glared at me, but for once I was too pissed off at the island nation to be cowed.

"He did something to Spain." England snarled wordlessly and began to pace. "I'm not sure how he did it, but I know he is they only one in the world who still uses magic."

America stiffened. "What did he do?"

"He split Spain into three," I growled, glaring at the back of England's blond head. "And I'm here to make sure he fixes him."

"Eww." America looked at England in disgust. "Three pieces? So is Spain just, like a head and torso and legs –"

"No, you moron," England grumbled. "He means Spain has been divided into three separate people. I had no idea the spell actually worked though. Spain didn't seem any different at the World Meeting."

"So you really did this, Arthur?" America shook his head at the older nation. "Why?"

"I hate that prat! I was hoping the spell would weaken him and then I could finally rid myself of that arsehole."

"That's not an excuse anymore, Arthur. So what if you to have fought in the past? So have we and you don't hate me do you?"

England quickly shook his head and told America, "Of course not."

"So why do you still hate him? You two haven't been to war in over four hundred years. For you and me, it's been only two hundred years."

"It's different between us, Alfred." He muttered. "You and I are – look, it's just different, okay? I'm not sorry for what I've done. Apparently the spell didn't work like it was supposed to anyways since Spain is perfectly fine."

"Fine? Fine!? You damned eyebrow-bastard! He's three separate people! Three separate people, by the way, that I have to look out for and make sure they don't do anything stupid." I balled up my fist. "I don't care why you hate Spain, but you are going to fix it so I can have my dumbass back!"

America had yet another fit of giggles, making me realize what I had just said. "I-I mean – It was bad enough dealing with one dumbass, its impossible dealing with three, so turn him back!"

England looked at me for a few seconds as I stood their blushing. "Fine. I'll help you. Let me just go find that damn spell book," He grumbled, leaving America and I alone in the living room as he, presumably, went to go find the spell book.

"I'm really sorry, Romano. Arthur just can't seem to get over this rivalry he has with Spain." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Aren't you supposed to be the loud, immature one?" I asked, looking America over for signs that that alien, Tony or whatever it is America called him, had replaced him with a clone.

America shrugged. "I may be a lot younger than you, Romano, but that doesn't mean I don't know when something is wrong."

"Whatever." If Spain had ever done something like this to England, not that he would ever dare to use witchcraft, I can't say I'd have apologized when America showed up asking him to fix England. I'd have probably slammed the door in his face. But that's probably just because I'm really pissed at England right now. America, though he had been in many wars, had a rather innocent mindset compared to most other nations. He probably, honestly believes that just saying please would get you what you wanted.

"Found it!" England called from somewhere else in the house. It was a few more minutes before he finally returned with a leather-bound, yellow-paged book in hand. "There's a problem though." He set the book down with a loud thump and a small dust cloud on the coffee table. "I can't reverse the spell." He sounded too pleased about that and where it not for how scary England could be, I'd have punched him in the face.

"You mean I'm stuck with those three tomato-bastards forever?!"

"You could always just kill two of them." He said under his breath. America elbowed him. "What I meant was that _I_ cannot reverse the spell. It has to run its course."

"What do you mean run its course?" He opened the spell book and flipped through it until he reached a certain page. He pointed to one line.

"I can't read that you bastard," I growled, staring at what looked like gibberish though it was probably one of England's older, more forgotten languages.

England twitched at the insult and looked like he was going to react violently, but America rested a hand on his shoulder which seemed to calm him. He took a deep breath before answering me. "It says that: _Only through the acceptance of all may the three reunite to become one._"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cryptic bastard and his cryptic book.

"Don't know," He shrugged, closing the book, and giving me a smirk, "Guess you're just going to have to figure that out on your own."

I'm going to kill him. Better yet, I'll tell España and Spain that he kidnapped me and then they will kill him for me.

England continued to smirk as he picked up the book and left to put it back wherever it is he found it. "I really hate him sometimes," I growled. "I can see why Spain hates him so much."

"Hey! Don't be so mean to Arthur." He pouted, which earned him an eye-roll from yours truly.

"I never asked, but why are _you_ here, America? I thought you and the eyebrow-bastard didn't get along. You two always argue at the World Meetings."

He smiled fondly. "So do you and Spain, but you two get along fine, right?"

"That's arguable sometimes…but sure. However, Spain and I never try to strangle each other like you two do."

"Well, _you_ do, but the way I see it, you and Arthur are very similar."

"Like hell we are, asshole!"

"What I mean is you both seem to hate affection in public, but when you're away from all those nations, I bet you're pretty nice to Spain, just like Arthur is to me."

"Bullshit! I am not nice to him. Not ever." I crossed my arms and stuck my nose up at him. "You don't know what you're talking about, idiota."

He laughed. "Sure, that's why you smile at him when you think no one is looking."

"I do not!" I didn't do that…did I?

No, I didn't.

"So, you think Spain and I are…involved?" I tried to force as much disgust into my voice as I could but with how the past weeks had been making me more open to the idea, I was having a hard time with it.

"Yep." He flashed me a grin.

"So if you're comparing mine and Spain's relationship to yours and England's," I smirked at him ", does that mean you and caterpillar-face are involved?" America blushed so fast he put _me _to shame.

"What the bloody hell are you telling him you twit!?" England fumed. He looked just as red as America did if not more so.

"I-I didn't tell him anything, Iggy – "

"Don't call me that!"

"I swear he just figured it out." Things quickly escalated, and for a second I was sure I was at a World Meeting since they looked like they always did there, with England at America's throat as the other tried to make excuses.

"I thought you and France were a thing." I asked England, hoping to diffuse the situation a bit before he beat the ever-living shit out of America.

"That damned frog! I'm not sure why I even considered agreeing to his proposal of marriage, but I'm glad I'd said no. That knob never could keep it in his pants."

"At least you have me, right Arty?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure, you git" He blushed all the way to his ears.

"Riiight. Not that this hasn't been fun, but I'm going to leave before this gets even gayer than it already is." I quickly hightailed it out of there, ignoring America's yell that I was gay for Spain because that was ridicul – Fuck it, I can't even convince myself of that anymore.

* * *

><p>I headed back towards Southend Airport. I had originally been planning to actually go to Germany and visit my brother for a day (just a day, anymore would make me want to shoot myself) before I head back home. That way, if Antonio ever asked Feliciano about how our visit went, I'd have an excuse. However, I didn't feel up to dealing with Feli and his macho potato. So, I switched flights from Germany to Venice and then hopefully I'd be back in Rome before the day was out.<p>

What I wanted right now was to be back home, in my bed, sleeping what was left of the day away. So what if that meant sharing a bed with those three tomato-bastards? I was too tired to have one of _those_ dreams, and for some odd reason I slept better with their warmth around.

When my flight finally departed a few hours later I leaned my head against the window, grateful that there were no obnoxious little fuckers in the seat in front or behind me. Now if I could figure out what England meant by accepting the three tomato-bastards, then my life would be much less complicated. Though to be honest, I had a few ideas, and I was not happy about them.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked that chapter. The next chapter may take one week. May take two. Depends on how busy I get with school work and work work. The next will be Chapter 18: Welcome Home. A very generic and non descriptive title.**


	19. Ch 18: Welcome Home

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the disappearing act again, my lovelies. As I told some of my reviews, my life has been going through a rough patch. I promised them I would explain to all of you what has been going on (know that this will not interfere with the eventual completion of this story). In the past month one of my immediate family members has been battling with cancer, because of this I have been in-between home and school so much that I have not had time to write. However, everything has taken a turn for the better and the cancer scare is gone. I should have more time to write soon. **

**Thank you for all your patience, and thank you to all my wonderful readers and a special thanks to my lovely reviewers: ****MelancholyMadness****, Hey There, ****saikun13****, ****yayforcarrots****, ****Rand0m Reviewer****, ****Dragoness-of-Air13****, ****FieryEnblem****, ****Night13****. ****MiriamTodd321****. ****AYMK00****, ****Epic Hero Laugh****, Disruptive diva, ****black-misty-sky****, ****MapleLeafPianist****, ****xblood kittenx****, ****lunynha****, ****BlackWolf2013****, ****SaviieDinofish6411****, ****Anya3****, IAmACat, ****SimpleLoss12****, ****Kosaji****, thatshyanon, Teh Awesome Anon, ****Prowls-little-hetalian****, ****KitsuneMagic48****, ****SideraSkotadi****, ****Allers3****, and ****SinyaLAnweledig****. I hope I did not leave anyone out.**

**As one reader pointed out to me, the last chapter was title Confronting the United Kingdom even though Romano only talked to England. The United Kingdom is not the same as England; I know that, my family is from Wales. However, I do not think Hetalia has ever introduced Ireland, Scotland, or Wales (if it has, I have not come across those manga strips/anime yet). England even refers to himself, in the anime, as "The United bloody Kingdom" who can hold his liquor better than America any day. So, I'm sorry, but I will not be changing the title of the last chapter.**

**Here is the next chapter, I hope you like it. I'm not too pleased with it, but with the little time I had, this chapter was written in short sections over a period of weeks so that might be why.**

* * *

><p>Okay, so…England said I had to accept all three of them right? Or something like that. Could I even do that? Was it even worth the trouble trying to figure this all out?<p>

I did want the old Antonio back. My Antonio.

Wait – When did he become _my_ Antonio? I know those dreams had been trying to suggest that I had…feelings for him – Fuck. I'm not fooling anyone. I probably lov-really liked that bastard and his stupid ways and his random psychopathic mood swings.

So…what did accepting mean? I thought I'd already accepted those tomato-bastards in their own weird ways. Antonio was the most like the original…or at least, he was more like how the original Antonio acted around me. The original Antonio tried to not let his psycho show unless I was in danger.

Okay, one out of three. That just left the pirate and the conquistador. Sure, España was psychotic, but I was also somewhat used to the old Antonio's axe-happy moments. He only really acted crazy when he was protecting me, so it's not like he was _really _crazy. Only difference between him and the original was that España l-loved me. I can't say that I actually returned those feelings, but I could accept them, probably.

Alright. That's two out of three –

Wait…If España loved me. Did that mean the original Spain felt that way about me? He'd never said anything and if Spain was truly a part of him, then he would have made a move or said something by now. Right?

Speaking of that pirate-bastard, he was _way_ too handsy. I know that he also loves me, or at the least, he seems to think he loves me, but I'm not sure I can actually accept that. I've never been so molested in my entire life, which is saying something since I've known France my whole life. And who's to say Spain actually likes me? He could just want me for my body (as ridiculous as that sounds).

Then again, he did pick me over Feliciano. And he _did_ say that he wanted to-to marry me. Not that I actually believe him – even though he _has_ said so many times and he always respects my personal space (for the most part) when he asks –

No! No, I could not accept him. I'm not saying I don't want to, but there's just-I don't actually believe him.

Hell, maybe the spell wasn't even talking about me! The spell wasn't cast on me, so maybe I'm just being egotistical to think that the cure revolves around me. Maybe those tomato-bastards have to accept each other?

Shit. I'm going to be stuck with them forever. There is no way that España is ever going to accept Spain. Antonio will probably have no problem accepting the other three. Then again, he's been acting really weird around all of us lately, so it's possible that they're all going to have issues with each other. Dammit, who knew that one person could be in such conflict with himself. Did the original Antonio have these kinds of problems with himself? It would explain how bipolar he was sometimes.

Son of a bitch. Now I'm even more confused than when I left on the trip. Plus I didn't really have any time to think about what these stupid dreams mean and how to fucking get rid of them.

I better get a hell of a good welcome home.

* * *

><p>I hate to admit it, but as I got out of the taxi, dragging my suitcase behind me (not that I'd actually had to pack it in retrospect), I was actually looking forward to walking through that front door and being greeted by people who actually gave a damn about me. That and collapsing in my bed and sleeping off the jet lag sounded wonderful right now. So what if the others would be curled up around me?<p>

I unlocked the front door and stepped into the foyer, half expecting them to be there waiting for me, I wasn't too surprised when they weren't since I was home early; a little disappointed, but not surprised. I threw my suitcase to the floor and slammed the door behind me. Answering noise from upstairs and the living room told me they now knew (or at the least thought someone had broken in and they were now coming to investigate). I called for them anyways, "I'm home if any of you bastards care!"

Antonio entered from the living room at a sprint, España not far behind him. "Lovi!" Antonio crushed me in his arms, nuzzling into my hair and refusing to let go when Spain came down the stairs and tried to butt in. "I missed you so so much, mi tomate." Damned bastard.

"I…I missed you too, Antonio," I mumbled, blushing as bright as my nick-namesake and burying my face into Antonio's shoulder. He started to coo about how cute I was and how he loves his precious little tomato. "I've changed my mind," I grumbled, pushing him away.

"So mean," He pouted.

"Roma," I turned to Spain. He looked…annoyed. Maybe at Antonio for hogging me. "Did you miss me as well?" He embraced me, resting his forehead on mine. He still looked annoyed.

"N-no!" He smirked just slightly and kissed my temple before letting me go.

"You are home early, Romano," España's voice made me jump. He didn't sound angry, but there was something cold and dark in his tone.

"So? I couldn't stand to be around my brother and that macho-potato so I came home. "

"Really?" I nodded unsurely, feeling like I was trapping myself. "Then why didn't Feliciano know where you were when Antonio called him? Why did he not know you were even visiting?"

"I-it was going to be a surprise, but I changed my mind about visiting him and came home."

"Then why were you gone so long?" His arm came around my waist, caging me in. "What were you doing. Romano?"

"N-nothing, España. My flight was delayed."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Where were you really at, Romano?" His eyes were dark. Terrifying. He backed me up against the door. He grabbed my arms, pinning me in place (as if his borderline glare wasn't doing that already). His grip tightened when I didn't answer.

"E-españa. You're hurting me." He let go as if burned. Spain was quick to push in between us and check me over for injury.

"I'm…I'm so sorry, amorcito. I didn't realize –"

"That's not an excuse, España!" Spain snarled, hugging me to his chest. "I want to know where he was too, but that doesn't mean I'm going to hurt him to find out!"

"Would you both calm the fuck down! He didn't really hurt me. I'm not even going to bruise, dammit." I shoved Spain away and hesitantly took España's hand in mine. "I'm fine," I told him, making sure to look directly into his eyes.

He drew the back of his hand down my cheek in a caress. "I never meant to hurt you." He hugged me for the first time since I got home. "But I need to know where you were." Spain muttered an agreement. "If you were with someone else we would understand, Romano."

"We would?" Spain growled. Antonio mumbled something to similar effects. España quieted them both with a glare.

I squirmed out of España's arms. I knew España hadn't meant to hurt me, he'd just forgotten his own strength – I'd forgotten his strength since Antonio, while still strong, was nowhere near as strong as he'd been in the old days. Because I was worried he'd forget again, I moved to put some distance between us. "I wasn't _with_ anyone, you paranoid tomato-bastards."

"Sí, I am the only one for mi amor." Spain winked. I chose to ignore him as best as possible, as per usual.

"I was going to go see Feliciano, but…but I really wanted to come home after…" España stepped into my space, hands resting on my waist and drawing soothing circles on my side with his thumbs.

"After what, Romano?" He said softly, like one talks to a frightened animal. "Did something happen, mi amorcito?"

"I-I was – I've been thinking about how you all became three people and I wanted to know who was responsible so they could fix it, but…I knew you wouldn't like it, so I…I went and I talked to England."

It was as if I had just told them I'd bombed Madrid. They all froze. España's hands freezing in place, still at my side. Spain started ranting so rapidly and so angrily I was unable to translate what he was saying; I caught enough to know I didn't want to. Antonio got really pale and looked as if he needed to sit down. España's reaction was by far the worst of all. He looked at me as if I'd just sprouted horns and threatened to damn his soul and he wasn't sure if he should call a priest to have me exorcised or get his war axe and hunt down England (who would of course be to blame for my sudden possession).

"Dammit, España! He didn't cast any weird spells on me or any weird shit like that. You're the one – well the original Spain was the one who England cast a spell on, I was trying to get him to reverse it but he couldn't -"

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" España snarled.

"Couldn't. He said it had to run its course so all of you calm down, dammit. It's not like England's corrupted me or hurt me or anything like that."

España's eyes darkened again and I was suddenly worried the grip he had on my sides would become painfully tight. Next thing I knew, I was upside down with a solid back pressed to my face and a large hand gripping the back of my thigh. It took me a few disoriented seconds to understand that España had thrown me over his shoulder and was now marching out of the foyer, carrying me like a sack of tomatoes as an intrigued Spain and a puzzled Antonio followed at his heels.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?!" I yelped as I gripped the back of España's shirt for some semblance of balance. The hand on my leg tightened.

"You are not going to be allowed out of my sight from now on, Romano. I do not care if England didn't hurt you this time, I do not doubt that he will next time. What you did was foolish and dangerous."

"I'm my own nation, España! You can't treat me like I'm still one of you disobedient colonies."

"I will when you stop acting like one." I was too pissed to form complete sentences, just angry sputtering.

"You could always spank him," Spain offered. I lifted my head just enough to give him the dirtiest glare I had ever given to anyone in my entire life – for the few seconds I was about to before España turned around and offered to decapitated him if he made a suggestion like that again. He then continued on his trek towards the stairs.

The only reason Spain is still alive is because España didn't hear him muttering ", but my Roma has such a perky smackable ass. It looks so nice up in the air like that."

Despite my renewed desire to kill Spain, my anger had faded just enough to be humiliated. "España, put me down." The hand tightened again. "I'm getting dizzy." He ignored me, turning off down the hall once he reached the top of the stairs. "If I puke down your back, it's your fault."

"Be quiet, Romano." He opened one of the doors.

"You are no longer the boss of me!"

I was once again thrown about, this time landing on my bed with a bounce. Were this Spain, I'd be worried about what was about to happen, but España just stood at the edge of the bed and glared down at me.

"España, not that I don't like the thought of getting Roma into bed, I don't think you should manhandle him like that." Spain eyed us as he sauntered into the room.

"Sí, you could hurt mi Lovinito!" Antonio whined, looking like he was preparing to dive between España and I.

"Be quiet or leave." He growled. Antonio looked worriedly between the two of us before deciding to do as he was told and vacate the room. Spain glared right back at España as he made a show of leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms as if getting comfortable.

España turned his attention back towards me and I suddenly wished I had actually gone to visit Feliciano, even if that had meant dealing with the potato-bastard. Anything would have been better than this.

"Romano," There was never a good tone; it was the same tone the original Spain used back when I was his colony after I'd broken something. Shit. "I don't care if you _were _trying to help us, do not go and see England again. He is dangerous."

"So are you and Spain, but I don't see you telling me to avoid the two of you."

"Not the same, Romano –"

"How?! In case you've forgotten, England is not as powerful as he used to be. He does not have the strongest navy anymore, America does." I could hear grumbling from Spain at that. "You're probably stronger than him now. You both are. Hell, even Antonio might be. You don't need to worry about me!" I snarled, trying to get off the bed.

España snatched up my wrist and pulled me, carefully, towards him. "Yes, I do, Romano. Do you have any idea what I would do if something happened to you?"

"I don't fucking know!"

"Neither do I, Romano. You are precious to me and if someone took you from me –"

"I'd kill them," Spain hissed, looking for once like the deadly pirate he is. "There wouldn't be a place on this earth that they could hide where I wouldn't find them and gut them like – "

"As would I, Spain. But what would you do afterwards?" Spain's rage deflated and he looked at me as if trying to memorize every detail, like the world would end if he didn't.

"I…I don't know." He wandered over and sat on the corner of the bed, holding his head in his hands and slumping forwards. He lifted his head just enough to look at me. I'd _never_ seen the pirate look so broken. He shook his head.

"So do you understand, Romano?" Not really, but I was getting the idea better and better the more depressed Spain looked. He pulled me so I was sitting at the foot of the bed next to Spain. España sat on his knees so there wasn't too much of a height difference and looked slightly up at me. The bed shifted as Spain stood up and left the room, head still bowed and shoulders slumped. España cupped my face and angled my chin down so I was looking at him instead of Spain's retreating back. "Do you?"

I nodded slowly. I'd known that the tomato-bastards cared for me, but I'd had no idea they cared this much. No one had ever cared this much. Not Feliciano. Certainly not Grandpa Rome.

"Mi amorcito," He whispered, letting his hands slide back into my hair and pulling me down so my forehead was pressed to his. "Te quiero." My heart felt like it stopped beating. It restarted when España leaned up and placed his lips on mine. I thought it was going to explode though when he ended the first kiss only to initiate a second and third. So, I shoved him back and just stared at him.

España's kisses weren't anything like Spain's. Spain's kisses were usually overpowering and heated, though they could be soft. España's had been soft and warm but still forceful.

"I have wished to do that for quite some time." He grinned. I don't think I'd ever seen España smile like that or ever look that happy. It made me want to run from the room and find Antonio, who was so far the only normal one…okay, normal isn't exactly the correct term, but at least _he _wouldn't try to kiss me. I probably would have run were this not my room and were I not too jetlagged.

"Good for you," I hissed, trying to nudge him away ", but I'm tired and you need to leave so I can sleep. It was bad enough when there was only one of you perverts I had to worry about molesting me in my sleep. Now that there are two, I don't want any of you near my bed.

"You're forgetting, Romano. I told you, you are not allowed to leave my sight." I stared at him in silence…Rather, I was silent until what he said really sank in.

"What?!" I squawked. "You're being completely ridiculous, España!"

"Perhaps, but it will still be a while until I trust you to not do something stupid." God how I wanted to take a swing at him, but that would probably result in my being restrained along with the constant surveillance,

"You can't do this, España. I'm not your colony!"

"No, you are not. You are much much more important than that, Romano. That is why I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Even if that means you will hate me for it."

"…I'm not going to hate you, you damned psychopath," I grumbled. "But you can't control me. That's not how…it's not right."

He sighed. "Fine, but would you at least stay close to me for a few days? It would put my mind at ease."

"Alright, España. Madre di Dio, it's like there is something other than this England thing bothering you."

España sank down onto the bed beside me. He slid his arm around me and pulled me to his side. "When I found out you were gone, I thought something horrible had happened to you; or perhaps, you…you were with someone else. That I'd lost you to another before I even had you. I know I said I was okay with it were that true, but I would not have been. I might have killed whoever it was, man or woman, that had taken you from me and I would not have felt guilty for it in the slightest."

"You don't have me, bastard," I mumbled, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Besides, you two crazy bastards are the only ones who have ever wanted me. No one in their right minds wants a foul-mouthed, short-tempered, assh –" España grasped my chin and titled my face up so he could silence me with yet another kiss.

"I have told you before and I'll tell you again. Do _not_ put yourself down, mi amorcito. You are more than capable of being loved; anyone would be lucky to have you as their own…not that I will ever give you up, but you need to see yourself the way I do."

I nudged him off of me, his arm was still slung around my hips, but at least there wasn't an immediate threat of getting smooched. "Stop saying corny stuff like that, you bastard!" I could feel my face heating up. "You and Spain both say some of the cheesiest, greeting card worthy, shit I've ever heard."

España laughed. "I do not see what cheese has to do with what we say to you, Romano. What is a greeting card?"

The other two tomato-bastards downstairs could probably hear the facepalm I gave in reply. "Fucking bastard."

* * *

><p>As promised, I let España follow me around for the next few days. I really shouldn't have promised him that. España, as expected, took the situation to the extreme. This meant he was the only one allowed near me, the only one allowed to sit beside me on the couch, and if the others got too close he'd glare until they left. When it came to sleeping arrangements, I was no longer the center of the cuddle pile from hell, but rather to the side with España at my back serving as a barrier between me and the others.<p>

I was surprised that between Spain and España, the conquistador was more likely the one to try and steal kisses. I'd (almost) gotten used to it by now; this didn't mean I didn't still smack him afterwards. This might however be because ever since Spain tried to kiss me before bed the night I came home, España had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, he would neuter Spain if he tried that again (There had been all sorts of complaining when right after, he'd turned around and kissed me in front of Spain).

He was smothering me. I can assure you, I did not like all the sudden attention either, but I was dealing with it since I knew it would be over as soon as España felt secure again or some shit like that.

I knew I had to put a stop to this insanity when he snapped at Antonio for trying to hug me. It's not that I actually care if Antonio is happy or not, but he had looked like a kicked puppy, and a sad Antonio makes for a depressing atmosphere.

"España! This is too much! I get that you care, but so do the others, for some inexplicable reason, and you cannot treat them like this. Especially not Antonio. Fucking hell, he's not even interested in me like that." España and Spain both gave me a doubtful look at that. "Whatever. Just calm down."

I shudder to think of it, but I then initiated a h-hug with Antonio, patting the still shaking Spaniard on the back. He quickly hugged back, arms wound tight around me and face buried into my hair. "Ah! So cute!" His voice was muffled, but still understandable enough to earn him a smack.

"¡Gracias a Dios!" Spain pushed past España and hugged me from behind, nuzzling my shoulder, trying to pull me closer, but not trying to pull me away from Antonio. I was starting to feel like a Spaniard sandwich. "Missed you," Spain muttered, briefly kissing my cheek before returning to my shoulder.

España was awfully quiet throughout the one-sided (should it be two-sided since there were three of us?) cuddlefest. When I looked at him, he was staring down at his feet.

"I am sorry for how I've been acting. I did not mean to…I lost control again. I will try harder to –"

"Just shut up and get over here you bastard," I groused. España slowly shuffled over to us and hesitantly placed his arms around all three of us. Spain grumbled some complaint about sharing, but Antonio made a happy sort of chirrup sound-thing.

"Please forgive me, Romano…Spain…Antonio." Antonio was quick to nod, Spain was a little more reluctant about it but nodded anyways.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Now all of you bastards let me go! I'm starting to suffocate here." Spain snickered and just squeezed tighter, they all did. Asshole. All of them.

"Te amo!" Antonio cheered.

"Sí, te amo, mi amado."

"Te quiero."

…

_Ti amo troppo_

…

Maybe

"Whatever. Fuck off!" Antonio nuzzled me before letting go, España squeezed me before moving away, and Spain, after the other two had backed up a bit, dipped me and planted a kiss on me that had my head spinning.

I may or may not have punched him in the face once he set me back on my feet and then stormed off.

"Worth it," I could hear Spain say as I stomped into the kitchen.

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><p><strong>AN: Again, sorry for the delay. I have all the remaining chapters planned out (There's about 12 chapters left), but I do have a few spots where I would like to include ideas from you lovely readers. For example, is there a nation you would like to see that I haven't included yet or any particular situation (not including smut)? Please feel free to tell me. That's all, thanks for sticking with this story.**


	20. Ch 19: His Bastard Friends

**A/N:**

**Hello, my loves. Sorry for the wait, but I am finally caught up with school work and winter break should be starting very soon. I already have the next chapter mostly written and that should be up next week. **

**I don't really have much else to say other than I would like to thank all my lovely reviewers for the last chapter:**** SpainsCherry, tsukihua16, MZS6 Animarine, A random fan, saikun13, black-misty-sky,****emmie333, PassionSmile, Sesi Braginskaya,****CatlinP1997, I-am-the-Wolf, 13LettersLong, Lizard, SaviieDinofish6411, Night13, scarletnight72,****KitsuneMagic48, Epic Hero Laugh, Miki583, BAYBAY841, Anya3, Bookworm24601, lunynha, IAmACat, ncalkins, Kosaji, SaraBarns, Rand0m Reviewer, thatshyanon, BlackWolf2013, Teh Awesome Anon, b4ndg33k, doiteain, SideraSkotadi, anon, Anone9, yvonna, Katarzyna Krimson, Allers3, Remember Dreaming of Tomarrow, MapleLeafPianist, MiriamTodd321,** **Cookie-the-Platypus****, and any guests. Sorry if I missed anyone.**

**Well, that's all, so please enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>I woke up to find my face smushed against someone's chest and someone else's face buried in my back. "Antonio, you're smothering me," I grumbled, pushing away from the clingy bastard in an attempt to put some distance between us so that I might be able to breathe again. However, this just pushed me into España who, after some grumbling, pulled me closer to him so he was spooning me. Antonio was quick to snuggle back up to me; his face pressed to my shoulder and his arms circling low around my waist. I glared down at the top of his curly head for a few seconds, his hair tickling my nose. I'd have to ask him later why in the fuck he smelled like oranges because I know I didn't have any fruity shampoo or some shit like that in my house.<p>

I peered over Antonio to see where Spain had gotten to. He was hanging off the edge of the bed, looking like he was just seconds from rolling off and onto the floor. I figured no one wanted to deal with a grumpy Spain this early in the morning.

"Spain," I whispered over to him. He mumbled something in his sleep but didn't do much else. "Spain!" Still nothing. Complaining under my breath, I reached over Antonio, having to stretch pretty far, and grabbed onto the back of Spain's shirt (Finally convinced the bastards to wear a damn shirt to bed) and tugged on it.

"Hmm?" Spain slowly rolled over and away from the edge of the bed. "What is it, Roma?" He stared bleary-eyed at me and yawned; which had in no way been adorable. Not at all, dammit.

"You were about to roll off the bed, dumbass." He looked over his shoulder, which would mean he finally noticed just how close he still was to falling off.

"Ah, I see. Thank you, mi amado." He pushed himself up onto his knees and shuffled closer toward the center, the bed shifted just slight with his movements. He flopped down right behind Antonio and reached over the older personality to run his fingers through my hair, accidently brushing that damn curl; I had to bite me lip to keep from gasping. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. "Go back to sleep, mi amor. It is still early, even the sun has not yet risen." He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. He withdrew only far enough so we were touching foreheads; Antonio was curled up between the two of us. "Buenas noches, mi hermoso tesoro."

I ignored him in favor of focusing on something he had said earlier. It was too early, the sun wasn't up yet, and even with Antonio's smothering it would have taken something unusual to wake me up this early.

Forgetting, temporarily, that I was being suffocated again and was over heating to boot, I strained my ears, listening for anything out of the ordinary. All I heard was España's quiet breaths, Antonio's snores and Spain's muttered sleep talk.

I was about to chalk it up to my imagination and go back to sleep when I heard a thump followed by muffled cursing from downstairs. I knew that it couldn't be the mafia again, they were too afraid of España to come back. It could have been a robber, but I lived quite a distance from the main road and I rarely, if ever, saw anyone but my neighbors (as few as there were) out here. Whoever it was, España must have heard them as well since he stiffened behind me and his arms tightened protectively. "Stay here, Romano," He whispered in my ear before letting go and then noiselessly slipping out from under the covers, somehow managing to not shift the bed, before exiting the room.

I think anyone who has ever met me knows that I don't really take orders well. I slid out of Spain and Antonio's arms and tiptoed out of the room. I could see España, war axe clasped firmly in his hands, start to head down the stairs. I could still hear whoever it was downstairs and I was about to follow España (at a safe distance) when a noise from the end of the hallway caught my attention. España must not have heard because he never reappeared at the top of the stairs.

I should have gone and gotten Spain and used him as a (somewhat) human shield, but for once my cowardly ways had abandoned me and I started down the hallways on my own, my bare feet padding on the cold hardwood floor with little noise. It had been a while since I had been in this part of the house. It was only there for guests and since I almost never had guests (the tomato-bastard doesn't count) those rooms where only ever used when Feliciano decided to visit, which didn't happen often.

I pushed open the door at the end of the hallway it had been slightly ajar so whatever had made that noise had to have come from that room.

As a nation, I knew that no mere human could seriously wound me; if they did, I would heal quickly. However, as a coward that didn't stop me from worrying about my physical safety and well-being.

I took a cautious step into the room, eyes sweeping over furniture and their shadows, an empty bed, an open window and a lonely rocking chair…Wait, the window shouldn't be open. España always checked the windows before bed.

I padded over to the window; the curtains were blowing in just slightly with the warm breeze. I could hear a few crickets chirping but nothing out of the ordinary. The window was completely thrown open so I had to lean out just slightly and shut it one pane at a time. I drew the thin curtains back together with a final glance out the window. Nothing. Maybe the noise had come from something outside. Or maybe I was just hearing things and I should head back to the nice, warm, safe bed in my room and hide myself between Antonio and Spain.

I started to leave the room when the closet door to my left creaked open. I slowly tuned my head to look, despite all the warning bells that went off in my head and told me to haul ass back to my room. It is entirely possible that I screamed (a manly yell, dammit) as red eyes peered out at me from the darkness.

There was an answering shout from down the hall, coming from my room and a startled yelp from downstairs. I could then hear feet pounding down the hall towards me as the shadowy figure stepped out of the closet red eyes still pinning me in place and causing a cold shiver to run up my spine.

I darted for the light switch and flicked it on right as Spain slid into the room, effectively blinding the pirate. I'd apologize later, right now I was too busy thinking of all the places I could bury an albino.

"Kesesesese! I scared you so good, Romano!" He continued to laugh his stupid laugh as Spain blinked, trying to regain his sight and I stood their fuming. "Did you know you scream like a little girl? You sounded just like Italy-chan!"

"Dammit, Gil," We turned to look at Spain who had finally regained his bearings ", I thought someone had broken into the house and attacked Roma."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, you had me worried half to death that he was hurt. Not only that, I had to leave the warmth of my bed and all for one of your stupid pranks. Gilbert," His eyes darkened ", I'm going to have to kill you now."

"Eh? Come on, Toni. It was just a joke!" He backed up into the closet. He slammed the door shut when Spain started advancing on him. I shook my head at the two as Spain pulled on the door handle and yelled threats at Prussia, who was no doubt pulling on the other side of the handle to keep it closed as he yelled back, "I am never coming out of the closet and you can't make me!"

"I'm just going to leave you to deal with this, Spain." The pirate didn't spare me a second glance, just halted his threats long enough to mutter something that sounded like 'alright, mi amor'.

"Francis, help me! Toni is going to kill me! Which is so not awesome." Son of a bitch, I'd completely forgotten about the second person España had gone hunting for, assuming he hadn't already caught him.

I darted down the stairs and searched the first floor, finally stumbling into the kitchen to find France sitting in one of the table chairs, España standing stoically in front of him, war axe held almost casually. By the way France was trembling it wouldn't be a far stretch to say that España was not happy and that casual stance could turn deadly at any second.

"Gil-gilbert!" España spun the war axe effortlessly, effectively shutting France back up. I'd seen France when he was scared, but I'd never seen him quite as terrified as he was right now.

"España," The taller nation looked over his shoulder at me ", it's just France, put the axe down...please." I stepped closer to him, carefully setting my hands on his shoulders. España was tense, wound up like he was just seconds from springing into action.

Dammit. I swallowed my pride and hesitantly started to rub his back with slow circular motions. His shoulders slumped and he set the war axe to lean against the table. France looked less freaked out and started to edge out of the chair.

España tensed again thanks to a loud crash and a scuffle from upstairs. Spain had probably just succeeded in getting the closet door open. "Mein Gott! Please don't kill me, Toni! The awesome me is too young to die. Me and Franny will just leave and then you and Romano can go back to sleep and we'll visit some other time! Please, the awesome me wants to live!"

There was no way I could lie my way out of this one. France was looking between España and I with quick jerking motions, occasionally staring up at the ceiling. I sighed defeatedly. "Spain!" The noise from upstairs stopped. "Grab that potato-bastard and bring him down here." España gave me a look that I can only describe as questioning; I hope you know what you're doing.

It was only a few short moments before Spain stepped into the room dragging Prussia behind him. France's gaze flicked from España to Spain then back again a couple times. He looked like he was going to faint at any second. Not that I'd blame him. It's what I'd done (In a manly way of course).

"Toni, let me go…" He finally caught sight of España as Spain pulled out another chair next to France and pushed the albino into it. "H-how…Romano, do you see them too?"

"Of course I do, you idiot!" I snapped. Spain stepped up behind me and slid his arms around my shoulders, resting his head on top of mine.

"Okay, just making sure." He continued to study the two almost identical men before finally nodding. "Guess I should have noticed the difference. Toni's hair hasn't been that long since his Armada days." I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on; this idiot only just noticed that?

"You're a dumbass."

He ignored me. "This is so awesome!" I should have expected as much from Prussia. "Why didn't you tell us, Toni?! Think how much fun there is to be had with four of us! Roderich won't know what hit him. Isn't that right, Franny?"

"Oui, so much fun." From the pervy grin and the once over he gave España, it wasn't hard to imagine what sort of _fun_ he was thinking of. I'm not entirely sure why that thought made me so angry. "Romano, you've been keeping these two all to yourself? How greedy. You should have shared. One for you and one for moi –"

"Fuck off!" I snarled, tempted to stand between España's ass and France's lecherous gaze.

"It does not matter, Francis. Romano is the only one I want. You are mi amigo, that is all."

"But an ass that perfect needs to be shared with the world! But mostly with moi."

"You're sick, Franny." Prussia scooted away from the fuckface.

"Whatever! Let's stop talking about sharing and focus on why you bastards broke into my house." I put my hands on my hips and glared at them. Spain wouldn't stop nuzzling my hair so I probably looked like less of a badass than I wanted. That often seemed the case when Spain was around.

"We came to check up on Antoine since last time we saw him, you said he was…sick. You're such a liar, Romano."

"Screw you – No, that was not an invitation, wine-bastard! Keep your creepy ass hands away from me." Spain's hold on me tightened possessively as he glowered at France, relaxing again only once France backed away, hands raised in surrender.

"I didn't want you two getting involved and blabbing to the rest of the world. The sooner they are back to normal the better. I'm still convinced you two are just going to fuck it all up."

"You wound us, Romano."

"Yeah, older Italy. We would do anything to help our buddy. Besides, Bad Touch Trio sounds much better than Bad Touch Quattro."

"You idiots won't be able to help. I'd be surprised if you were able to put a puzzle for five years olds together without help. You dumbasses couldn't find your own –"

"Lovi?"

Shit, forgot about him for a while there. I thought he would have slept through all of this. That bastard could sleep through an earthquake, so why was it now of all times that he chose to wake up?

Antonio walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. "Why are you all being so noisy?" He sidled right up to Spain and I, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head in the crook of my neck, his nose brushing my collarbone and his breath raising goose bumps on my skin (I doubt Antonio will ever understand the concept of personal space). Spain grumbled but let his arms encompass Antonio as well.

"There's three of them?!"

"Some men just have all the luck," France whined, staring at the three of us. I flipped him off right before Antonio jerked out of my arms – I mean Spain's arms, I had not been hugging that tomato-bastard.

"Francis! Gilbert! When did you two get here?" He plopped down into a chair across from them so fast he almost slid off the side. "Lovi~, why didn't you tell me Francis and Gilbert were here?"

"Because I was trying to get rid of them," I grumbled. Antonio started to ramble at the fuckface and the albino bastard, completely ignoring my reply as if he'd never wanted an answer.

"I missed you two," Antonio cheered, grinning like a moron at his fellow dumbasses. "I've been stuck inside for so long – not that I don't like being near mi Lovinito. I love my Lovi." I glared at the back of his head as I felt the tip of my ears burn. "I've been so bored. Spain won't let me hug Lovinito as much as I'd like."

"That is because he is mine," Spain snarled, tucking me to his chest. España rolled his eyes before tugging me out of Spain's hold and into one of his own.

"We are the same person, Spain. Romano is _ours_." It was my turn to roll my eyes. I knew just as well as Spain did that España had no intention of sharing me, especially not with the pirate.

Why am I talking like I'd already given in?

"Speaking of sharing," France leered. I shuddered at the look and España pulled me closer. "What's it like sharing Romano with two other men? Even if they are just different forms of you, that must get complicated. Are you sure I can't have one of them, Romano?" He sighed dramatically at the glare I gave him. "Fine, be greedy, Romano."

"Sharing Lovi?" Antonio looked sort of sad. "Well, I don't get as many hugs as I'd like. I think Lovi hugged me more before."

Bullshit. I almost never hugged the original Antonio, and when I did, it had never been willingly. That bastard was being smothered to death with hugs in comparison.

"Also, I'm always stuck sleeping on the edge of the bed away from Lovi most the time because they always sleep next to him."

That was also not true. Ever since Spain got a little too handsy, he'd been forced to sleep on the outside.

"It's not all bad, I don't have to worry too much about protecting Lovi because España –"

"Hold that thought, Antoine." He held up a finger at Antonio as he stared at me with what could easily be described as awe. "You bed all three of them at once!?" France gave me the perviest grin I had ever seen. "I didn't know you had it in you, Romano. Well, obviously you've had all three in y –"

"Shut the fuck up!" España had to hold me back. Even with his superior strength he had to really struggle just to keep his grip.

"What is the feisty little Italian like in bed, Antoine?"

"That is not any of your business," España growled, picking up his war axe again after he'd passed me off to Spain.

"I will kill you if you ask such a question again, Francis," Spain hissed, his fingers loosening on my arms like he was tempted to let me go so I could rip that fucker to shreds.

"I'm _not_ sleeping with those tomato-bastards! I mean, I do sleep in the same bed as them – but I do not _sleep_ with them. Not all of us are whores like you, fuckface!"

Antonio stuttered out nonsense and his face flared red as he stared at one of his best friends with embarrassment. "Lovi and I are just friends!"

France snorted. "But don't you want to be more? It is obvious that they do," he said, nodding towards España, who was still holding his war axe, and Spain, who let go so he could move to stand in front of me, guarding me from France's lustful gaze.

"No! Lovi is my cute little tomato. I would never think of him like_ that_." In response, España muttered something about denial and Spain growled how it was not possible that he had _ever_ been a part of that wuss.

France and Prussia exchanged glances. "We need to talk, Antoine." "The awesome me needs to help the not as awesome you."

The two stood up and they both grabbed onto either shoulder (after first groping the clueless bastard's ass in France's case). They started to drag him out of the kitchen and towards the back porch.

I looked at España and Spain hoping they would know what was going on. They looked just as clueless as Antonio so I followed the three. One of the windows was open, probably the one France had used to sneak in, so I knelt below the sill to listen.

"I'm only doing this because we're friends and because older Italy is sort of somewhat awesome. Not as awesome as me of course."

"Oui. I also wish for your happiness, mon ami. And, should the result of that happiness means I get to watch and maybe be a part of the four-way, then so be it." Like hell he would – wait…I was not going to have a foursome with those tomato-bastards! Or anyone else for that matter.

"Four-way? I don't know what that means, Francis."

"Well, you see, Antoine. When four men, maybe even a fifth, love each other physically very much, they all get naked and –"

SMACK!

"Don't pay attention to this pervert, Toni."

"Ow, Gilbert. You did not have to hit my beautiful face!"

…

SMACK!

"As I was saying, Toni, everyone can see it, so what exactly is stopping you?"

I leaned forward, listening in earnest, wondering what exactly Prussia was getting at. Antonio didn't seem to know either, "What do you mean? I don't understand –"

Two sets of hands grabbed me, before I could hear Prussia's response, and pulled me away from the window. "It's not polite to eavesdrop, Romano," España chided quietly, pulling me further away and back to the kitchen.

"But, España," I whispered, conscious of how close we still were to the open window ", I just want to know what is going on!"

As soon as we got back to the kitchen I was forced to sit in one of the recently vacated seats, France's to be exact. I quickly switched to Prussia's abandoned chair, worried of what sort of diseases I would catch from sitting in a chair previously occupied by France. It'd have to be burned before it infected the other furniture.

"What if they had caught you eavesdropping, Roma? Francis would have done something unspeakable perverted to you, Antonio would have been too stupid to stop him, and I'd have had to kill one, if not both, of my best friends. And we can't have that, can we?"

"That would never happen. Prussia may be a dick, but I'm sure he would help me if France tried anything. And Antonio's not _that_ stupid…Okay, he probably is, but don't you want to know what they're talking about? You have to be curious."

"We know what they are talking about, Romano."

"What? How do you –"

"But it does not concern you…at the moment."

"Why do you bastards get to know and I don't?"

They exchanged glances. "Because."

"Fuck you! That excuse may have worked when I was a colony, but it won't work now," I snarled, crossing my arms and rooting myself in the seat. I would sit here glaring at them until they answered.

The downside of a plan like that is that it sort of depends on their remaining presence in the room. So as you can imagine, it failed spectacularly when they both shrugged and headed out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.

"Assholes!" I yelled after them."Don't you dare go to my room; you bastards aren't allowed in there until you tell me." I was ignored again.

That's it. I'm fucking sick of being stuck here. France and Prussia already know so might as well go back the Antonio's house. Plus, with Feliciano (and/or Hungary) being interested in my love life, he (and/or she) was sure to show up sooner or later to snoop (and/or bleed all over my floor). If someone was going to get more blood on their floors, it wasn't going to be me.

I'd be damned if I didn't book a flight back to Barcelona as soon as possible. Perhaps seeing my Ferrari again would make me feel better. Like hell I was going to let those bastards share a bed with me from now on though, no matter how happy being reunited with my Ferrari would make me.

I'd pestered Antonio for answers when he returned and those bastard friends of his finally left, but all he did was blush and stutter out how he couldn't tell me and then retreated upstairs.

Yep. We weren't staying here. Maybe if we went back to Spain it would confuse the fuckface and the albino-potato-bastard long enough that they wouldn't bother us for a few weeks. Who knows, maybe the three would be back to normal by then?

As soon as we got back to Spain, I would take my Ferrari Italia out for a ridiculously long drive to relieve the stress that babysitting three tomato-bastards brings and hope that they wouldn't kill each other while I was gone…or maybe that they would. That would probably make my life easier.

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><p><strong>AN: Well that's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed it, I felt like I rushed the ending, but alas. As I said, the next chapter should be up within a week, assuming my finals aren't too taxing. See you next chapter. If you leave a review and you have an account, please sign in. I love responding to you guys and being able to discuss ideas or answer questions (that don't give away too much of the plot).**


	21. Ch 20: Antonio's Conflict

**A/N: **

**End of the world and all that, so I decided to update and celebrate or something like that. Still not convinced.**

**Anyhow, thank you to all my lovely readers and a big thanks to my reviewers:**** scarletnight72, SpainsCherry, WhereAreAllTheRabbits, BlueStar1937, Teh Awesome Anon, ****Mighty Agamemnon, brattyteenagewerewolf, Invader Riyo, Night13, LadyOfHeart, Bre Lolli, Bookslover21, thatshyanon, I-am-the-Wolf, stahp-it, The Puzzler of Riddles, black-misty-sky, Allers3, BAYBAY841, MZS6 Animarine, SaviieDinofish6411, PassionSmile, MoriandMeForever, MiriamTodd321, MelancholyMadness, KitsuneMagic48,****lunynha,****SinyaLAnweledig, Sesi Braginskaya, SaraBarns, Katarzyna Krimson****, ****AshMeowsYaoi, and Remember Dreaming of Tomarrow. Hope I didn't forget anyone.**

**Sorry the update took so long, finals took up a lot more of my time than I thought they would, but now that is over and I have nothing better to do with my winter break than write this story. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.**

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><p>Convincing the three tomato-bastards to go back to Barcelona had been ridiculously difficult. Antonio had not wanted to leave his Ibiza behind, but there was absolutely, no way in hell, I was driving back in that thing. He also kept asking why we had to leave if France and Prussia already knew, to which I would reply: "Because, dammit!" I didn't want to be around those bastards any more than I had to and I knew,I fucking <em>knew<em>, they would just fuck everything up like they always did.

I'd had to bribe España to even get him on the plane since he was convinced it was witchcraft and if man were meant to fly, God would have given him wings. He had grumbled the whole plane ride, and kept shooting me glares as if it were my fault that he had participated in this sorcery. He was still convinced that magic was somehow involved after the plane landed, and probably always would be.

Spain, however, was the first one on the plane and he had jabbered excitedly to anyone who would listen about his first ride on a "plane of air" or some shit like that. The other passengers probably thought he was crazy or that he was just really stupid; which was true on both accounts. I'm sure if Spain knew I'd had to bribe España with a kiss he'd have pretended he didn't want to go.

Now, did España ever get that kiss?

No. As soon as the plane had landed I booked it out of the airport and sat as far away from him during the taxi ride to Antonio's house as I could. Of course that hadn't stopped him from pushing me against the door as soon as we got back to the house and taking one right in front of Spain, who had then demanded that he too should get a kiss. I promptly kicked them both in the shins and stomped away to find Antonio.

As soon as we got back, even before España could kiss me, Antonio had run around to the back of the house, muttering something about his 'pobrecito tomates'.

"Antonio?" I called out once I reached the back of the house. First thing I noticed was that the tomato plants had held up surprisingly well. It must have rained while we were gone. Second thing I noticed was Antonio. He wasn't there.

"Hey, tomato-bastard, where are you?" I called out, half expecting him to pop out from one of the many rows of tomatoes, a couple leaf stuck in his hair and a stupid grin on his face.

"Over here, Lovi!" Antonio emerged from a red shed that stood at the far side of the garden. I used to hide in that shed as a child after I'd broken something or sometimes after the squirrels had broken into my room (Yes, dammit, I am sticking to that story!). The original Antonio would always find me sooner or later, after he'd cleaned up whatever mess I (or the squirrels) had caused, and he would always pick me up and tell me everything was okay and he wasn't angry.

Whenever I broke something his first reaction wasn't to yell at me as it had been with Austria, but to force me to let him see my hands as he checked for any shards or cuts and asked me if I was hurt. I'd never understand how he could be so patient with me. He'd been a teenager in those days, barely a man, but he'd acted much nicer to me than Austria, who was already an adult and didn't have an excuse for having such a short temper with a child. I guess I can't blame Antonio for wanting to trade me for Feli. One can only be patient for so long.

"Lovi?" I flinched, coming out of my dark thoughts to find Antonio standing in front of me. He had a pair of gloves on his hands, a sunhat on his head, and an empty basket in his grip. "What's wrong, mi tomate? You look so sad." He let the basket drop to the ground. I peered up at him; he looked so concerned, the happy smile which was almost always glued to his face was gone. I was not prepared for the warm embrace he pulled me into so I might have hugged back before I realized what I was doing,

"Nothing, bastard." I nudged him away even as I kept my head nestled under his chin and my fingers curled into the soft fabric of his shirt sleeves. He let go and backed up, missing out on the only opportunity of receiving a willing hug from yours truly. Spain would have jumped on that chance like Feliciano on the last bowl of pasta. "What were you doing in the shed? I didn't think you used that old thing anymore."

"Just getting some gloves, Lovi. The tomatoes look okay, but they could probably use a lot of work. Do you want to help?" He asked cheerfully, giving me that stupid, adorable grin of his…did I say adorable? I meant…uh-fuck, know what? I'm not even going to make an excuse, but just know that he is not adorable or anything ridiculous like that.

"I suppose, bastard," I grumbled, stepping past him and going into the shed to find myself a pair of gloves. The inside of the shed was the same as it had always been. A few empty barrels that may have held supplies at one time or another, back when the original Antonio was out conquering the New World. Then again, knowing Spain, it's also possible that they once held wine. There were a few coils of rope, a hose, a few more baskets, a rake, another pair of gloves, some pruning shears, and folded up in of the corners was an old flag.

The flag had been there ever since Spain came home to stay after losing his armada to England. I'd never asked about it, it was tattered and even ripped in places, I'd always just assumed it was from the flagship, the one he had sailed on. I kneeled next to it and carefully opened it, disturbing decades' worth of dust into the air. I had to hold my breath to keep from sneezing as I stared at the faded images of a square of chains, a castle, some red and yellow stripes and a lion wearing a crown. Underneath that was another flag, a white flag with a jagged red X. I'd seen it many times. España's empire. I quickly hide it beneath the other sail, not wanting to remember the times that España would come home covered in blood, not all of it his, and barely breathing. Not that staring at the flag Spain had sailed under was much better.

I know Spain is still angry about the loss of his armada, but that was the only time I had ever been grateful to England for anything. Because of England, Spain had come home and I hadn't been alone anymore – not that I'd missed Spain. I'd just missed having someone around to cook and clean for me and sing lullabies to me on stormy nights as he held me close, make me feel like for once someone gave a damn about me…Alright, I'd always missed him more than anything, even more than Feliciano or Nonno. I know they care, but it's nice to be someone's favorite person in the world. At least, I think I am – was – the original Antonio's favorite person that is.

I should probably have told the tomato-bastard that he was too.

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><p>"Lovi?" Antonio walked back to the shed. What could be taking his cute little tomate so long? He didn't get lost did he? No, Lovi was very smart, much smarter than he was, he'd never get lost in a shed. He didn't even get lost in Antonio's house anymore…not often at least. "Lov –"<p>

Lovino was kneeling on the floor in front of the Bandera de Proa o de Tajamar from his – Spain's flagship. He was smiling, but his eyes look sad. Antonio wanted to drop next to Lovino and gather him into his arms and hold him until that sad look was gone and only the smile remained. Or until he hit him and cursed until Antonio would let go.

France and Gilbert had to be wrong. He just wanted to comfort Lovino, he didn't want to sit beside Lovino, tangle fingers in his hair, and turn his head until he could kiss that beautiful smile. No, he didn't want that at all…maybe.

What if his friends had been right?

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><p>SMACK!<p>

"As I was saying. Toni, everyone can see it, so what exactly is stopping you?" Prussia ignored Francis's pained grumblings and kept his attention on Antonio.

"What do you mean? I don't understand –"

"You love Romano, right?"

"Of course! I love my Lovi more than anything. Even more than tomatoes." Why would Gilbert ask him this? He knew how he felt about Lovi. He used to chase Francis away didn't he? He never wanted anything to hurt his cute little Lovino, and even though they were best friends, Francis could not be trusted with Lovi.

"Then why aren't you interested in him?" Gilbert snorted, crossing his arms and giving Antonio a smug grin.

"Not interested? I think Lovi is a very interesting person." Antonio blinked at him, his head cocked to one side; Gilbert wasn't making any sense again. Perhaps there was something wrong with him. He hadn't proclaimed his awesomeness in a while, so maybe that was what was wrong with his albino friend.

"That's not what he meant, Antoine. He meant, why can you not accept that you are _in _love with Romano?" Antonio's heart froze as he stared wide eyed at Francis. What could possibly make him think he was _in _love with Lovi? Maybe they meant something else. That had to be it!

"You mean like Spain? Or España?" They were _in _love with Lovi. At least he thought so, they acted like it. His friends were most certainly confused. He didn't act like that towards Lovino, so he obviously wasn't _in _love with Lovino.

"Exactly like that." The said in unison, both crossing their arms as they smirked at him.

"I raised Lovi! I could never – I see him as a friend, a brother even. Not as – "

"Friends don't cuddle and share beds. Well, not unless they're Francis. And brothers don't get jealous when someone else shows interest." That couldn't be true. Feliciano like to cuddle and share a bed with Lovino.

"I – we're just really good friends!" The shared a look of disbelief. What was wrong with them?! Why were they trying to convince him of these things?

"Tonio, we've been telling you this ever since Romano grew up. Ever since he became independent. Maybe you two were like brothers once, but it's not been like that between you two for a very long time."

"That's just because Lovi moved out, I don't feel any differently about him, I swear!"

"Haven't you ever wanted to kiss him?" The question was genuine even if Francis did look a little too excited by that prospect.

"No!" He blushed at the lie. "Well – uh – there was this one time, but I was just wondering what it would be like to kiss Lovi and I stopped before I actually kissed him. It's not like Lovi wants to kiss me. He only ever kisses Spain. España kisses him sometimes." He frowned at the thought, why did they get to kiss Lovi? Why was Lovi so nice to them? He looked down at his shoes, his brow furrowing. Did Lovi like them better than he liked him? "Can we not talk about this?"

"Toni, why would you be sad about that unless you were jealous?" Gilbert prodded.

"I don't know," Antonio whispered, looking up at his friends for help. Did they know the answer? Every time Romano would kiss Spain, there was a sharp pain in his chest, like someone had stabbed him and kept twisting the knife. Did all friends feel this way? Or was he just afraid of losing Lovi? Maybe Lovino would forget about him if he had Spain. His chest started to ache again so he rubbed at the pain hoping to stop it before it got too bad.

"You're in love with him, Antoine. Trust me. I'm the country of love after all; I'm an expert when it comes to matters of the heart." France rested a hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping Antonio from clutching at the pain.

"You're full of shit, Franny, but for once you're not wrong." Gilbert exclaimed, grabbing onto Antonio's other shoulder. "The sooner you get over this hold up, the happier you and Romano will be. And then it'll be you he kisses." His friends laughed and started telling him a bunch they'd created that would help me get Lovino to love me. Antonio hadn't said a single word, he just stood there in their grasp as his mind shut down.

Antonio had blushed then and he was blushing now just thinking about that conversation with his friends. Okay, so maybe he did like Lovi as more than a friend. Thinking about it, he knew he never felt the same way about Lovi as he did France or Gilbert, certainly not the same way he felt about any of his brothers. What he felt for Lovino was different than friendship, warmer somehow. Looking at Lovino and his rare little smile made his heart flutter, but that didn't mean he was _in _love with him as Frances and Gilbert seemed to believe. Did it?

"What are you doing, Lovi?" His little tomate jumped, dropping the flag and scrambling to his feet. Antonio grinned as Lovino sputtered out curses and threats of what he would do should he sneak up on him like that again, some of those threats involved creative uses for spoons. "Sorry, Lovi, I was just wondering why you were in here for so long."

"No reason, bas…Antonio." His heart raced, just like it did whenever Lovino would use his human name. Lovino's face was tomato red and all Antonio wanted to do was coo and tell Lovi how cute he was, but that might get him punched in the face. "H-hey, Antonio?"

He looked up at the curly haired Spaniard, the sad look gone from his eyes and replaced with a nervous glance, his eyes not quite meeting Antonio's. He was biting his lower lip and once again Antonio had to tell himself that he did _not_ want to put a hand on either side of Lovino's face and pull him close until their lips met. Antonio cleared his throat and shook his head to vanish such thoughts. "W-what is it, Lovi?"

"I just – uh…you know I don't mean it when I call you a bastard. Don't you?" Antonio's smile softened and he could not stop himself from pulling a blushing Lovino into his arms.

"I know that, Lovi. Why do you ask?"

"I…I was just thinking about the past and how patient you were with me. I was a brat, but you took care of me anyways. I-I never said thank you."

Antonio froze as memories of his days as Lovino's caretaker flooded his mind. He had raised Lovino, he should not be thinking these things. "You don't have to thank me, Lovi," He whispered, hugging the for-once-not-grumbling Italian closer. Francis and Gilbert were wrong. It was his job to protect Lovino just like he used to, that was all.

He let go of Lovino and quickly backed up to the other side of the shed, only stopping once he bumped into the doors. "Well, we better get to work, Lovi," He stuttered, shaking his head again. Do not think about kissing Lovino. It is so very wrong.

Lovino gave him a confused glared. Ah, Lovi. Only he could communicate any and every emotion through glares. So cute.

"Whatever, bastard." He stomped past him, shoving open the door, causing Antonio to fall out and land on his butt in the dirt. "You've been acting weird lately."

"I'm sorry, Lovi." He bowed his head, shame overtaking his face. Lovi probably knew how he felt and was sickened by him. Lovi wouldn't return his feelings. He'd want nothing to do with Antonio if he ever tried to kiss him. Lovino would hate him.

"Come on, Antonio." Lovino held out his hand to help Antonio to his feet. "And stop thinking too much, you'll hurt yourself."

"How'd you know–?"

"You always get really quiet when you're thinking and you frown a lot." He grabbed Antonio's hand and pulled him toward the garden. Antonio stared at their clasped hands. Maybe Lovi wouldn't hate him. He did kiss Spain back, no matter how much he verbally denied it, and Antonio was pretty sure he'd seen Lovi kiss España back too. Maybe if he–!

NO

He was not going to risk his friendship with Lovino. Besides, he wasn't even entirely sure how he felt about the stubborn Italian. This wanting to kiss him could just be a temporary thing; it's not like he wanted what Spain or España wanted from Lovi. He loved Lovino, but not in that way. Definitely not in that way. No matter how tempting the way Lovi was sticking his lower lip out in a pout was.

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><p>That bastard was staring at me weird. His eyes kept flicking between my face, somewhere off in the distance, the ground and my lips. If he thought he was going to start acting weird like the others, he could just forget that shit right now. There was no way.<p>

"Stop staring at me, perverted bastard," I growled, wrenching my hand from his and lengthening my stride to put some distance between us. I glanced back to find Antonio standing, rooted to the spot where I'd let go. He looked hurt, not his fake pouting and whining kind of hurt, but genuinely upset.

Dammit, what'd I say now to set him off? "What is it, bastard?" I grumbled, stomping back to him. "Look, I didn't mean it when I called you a pervert, alright?" He looked up at me, the beginning of a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "You're the only normal one around here." Just as fast that smile disappeared. His face paled and he instead gave me a forced grin and an awkward chuckle.

"Ah, right, Lovi…normal." Shit, Antonio was in one of his depressed, thinking-too-much moods and there was only ever one thing to do that was a sure fire way to get him out of one of his moods. I'm going to fucking hate myself. I know I said this would only happen once but…

"Cheer up, bastard" I grumbled, stepping close enough for me to wrap my arms around him. "You're acting like all the tomatoes in the world have died." I buried my rapidly heating face in his chest as I hugged him, waiting for him to reciprocate.

Antonio's back stiffened and he stopped breathing. "L-lovi, why are you hugging –"

"Don't make a big deal out of it, bastard" I snarled. "Now hug me back or I'm going inside and you can work on the garden by yourself."

Antonio gave me a real laugh this time and let his arms encircle me. "You're so cute, Lovi. You know you can always just ask if you want a hug."

"I didn't want a hug!" I yanked away from him. "You're the one who looked like you needed one! Now stop moping and help me fix up your damn garden." He stared at me blankly for a few uncomfortable seconds before bursting into laughter.

His laugh shouldn't have made me want to smile as much as it did, it shouldn't have made me so happy. It was just his retarded laugh, nothing extraordinary. That didn't stop me from blushing up to my ears and shoving him away before he could notice.

"Come give boss another hug, Lovi!"

"Fuck you!" I yelled, as I snatched one of the baskets up from the ground and headed into the garden. "I don't want a hug from you, bastard."

"Ah, so mean, Lovi." He gave me a fake pout and followed me into the garden. "Don't worry, boss will always be here to protect you."

"The fuck are you talking about?" Protect me from what? France? As if. That's what España was for.

He laughed again. "Nothing, Lovi. Oh! Look at this tomato, Lovi! It's so pretty, just like you. I'm happy they didn't die while I was gone. That would be horrible, wouldn't it, Lovi –" Needless to say, he continued to rant until I wanted to pull my hair out, but for some reason, it was nice to listen to him acting like his old self. I'd have to find out what was wrong with him soon, because I didn't think I could deal with a depressed Antonio much longer.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry this chapter was so short, it's kind of a filler. Next chapter will be better. Concerning the remaining chapter, I think I have all the ideas I need, but if you have anything else, feel free to tell me, I could always use good suggestions. I think that is all, I have more work than I thought I would over winter break, but that shouldn't stop me from writing. I'll see you in the next chapter, I'm looking forward to this one, so I hope you will like it. Until next time.**


	22. Ch 21: A Visit From Hermano Mayor

**A/N:**

**Thank you all for being patient. I'm really sorry this update took so long. Unfortunately over break, my computer decided to be an ass. Long story short it wiped all the files off my computer. While I still had all the previous chapters and outlines on a flash drive, I lost all the progress I made on this chapter. Needless to say I was pretty pissed off and it took a while for me to work up the motivation to rewrite those pages. Hopefully the length of this chapter will make up for the long wait.**

**As usual, I'd like to thank you guys for sticking with this story. A special thanks to my reviewers, Pomodorofairy, Tiili97, Just A Chess Piece, SaviieDinofish6411, Night13, JoJo The Awesome, Alice D. Lovett, Olappip, Thatshyanon, Sesi Braginskaya, Poxderp, I-am-the-Wolf, Musical Nerd 29, Karhien, Remember Dreaming of Tomarrow, BAYBAY841, b4ndg33k, scarletnight72, lunynha, MelancholyMadness, Bookslover21, yvonna, PassionSmile, black-misty-sky, KitsuneMagic48, doiteain. Sorry if I left anyone out.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for any errors, but as you will see, this is a long chapter, and while I edited it, I didn't go through it quite as thoroughly as I usually do simply because I wanted to put it up finally.**

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><p>I woke up to something tickling my nose. I brushed it away and tried to go back to sleep only for the tickling sensation to return a few seconds later. After a few more failed attempted, I grumbled and rolled over, burying my face. Antonio must have left a window open because the breeze kept blowing in, bringing the sound of birds with it, and ruffling my hair. Dammit, here I am trying to take my siesta, and that dumbass had forgotten to shut his damn windows.<p>

"Antonio!" I groaned, swatting at the man beside me. Antonio had insisted we take siesta together and I'm still not sure how he'd convinced me but here I was coiled up, my face tucked under Antonio's chin so the wind wouldn't tickle me with my own hair and his arms wrapped around my waist. I'm sure his pouting and weird behavior the last few days had something to do with it. Anything to make sure depressed Antonio didn't return. "Go shut the damn window."

"But Lovi, you're on top of me. I can't move." He murmured, sounding entirely unconcerned. He went so far as to tighten his arms around me so that I was pulled even further on top of him and nuzzle into my hair, making himself comfortable.

"It's your fucking window, so you shut it!" I tried to nudge his arms off of me, but Antonio had a vice like grip.

"But Lovi," He whined "I don't want to move, I'm so comfy. Why does the window have to be shut? The breeze feels nice and it's warm."

"Just shut the window."

"If you want me to shut the window, you're going to have to move first, Lovi." He made no move to let me go however.

Well when he put it that way, I wasn't sure how vital it was that the window be shut. I was a little too lazy for any movement right now, plus, Antonio made one damn good pillow when he wasn't suffocating me. Chirping birds weren't too annoying, no more so than Antonio, and as long as I kept my face buried in his shoulder the wind couldn't play through my hair.

"Lovi?" He loosened his grip on me.

"Shut up, I'm thinking about it."

He chuckled. "My Lovi is so cute."

"Fuck it; I'll shut the damn window myself."

"But, Lovi~!" He arms constricted once more as soon as I got up on my hands and knees and started to push off of the couch. This sent me falling back down so that I ended up straddling his hips. Were this Spain or España I'd be worried about getting molested, but Antonio just grinned triumphantly up at me, his hand resting obliviously on my hips.

"Ha! I win, Lovi!" He hugged me close, before letting me sit back up again.

"What exactly did you win, dumbass?" I snarled crossing my arms so they were no longer on his shoulders.

"I stopped my Lovi from leaving."

"Not yours." I mumbled, blushing at the position. Please let neither Spain nor España walk in on this. I did not need to hear them complain about how unfair it was and how they should be allowed that close. If Spain weren't so selfish he'd probably suggest a threesome.

"Why not?" He whispered. When I looked down at him he had that weird look in his eyes. It was kind of like that sad stare from just a couple days ago in front of the old shed but it also reminded me of that day, was it a month ago? That day in my room where I was forced into his lap, much like now, and he'd almost kiss...ed me.

He wasn't going to try that again. Was he?

"Lovi?"

"W-what is it, bastard? And stop staring at me."

"Why couldn't you be mine?" He looked serious for once. Shit, we were treading into dangerous territory again.

"Because I don't belong to anyone, that's why, bastard. Now let me go so I can shut the window." I tried pushing on his chest, looking for leverage, but Antonio's grip was strong.

"I don't want to let you go, Lovi," He was pouting now, but pouting was good, at the least it was better than that weird behavior. He pulled me back down again, and cradled me close. "Not ever." Spoke too soon.

"I'll come right back, bastard." I groused, even though I knew he wasn't necessarily talking about this current situation.

"You will?" He let go just enough that he could look me in the eyes. Shit, I was blushing again. Damn that bastard and his face. That's right, his face. His face and his stupid eyes. Why the fuck are they so green is what I want to know. A man's eyes should not be that beau – nevermind.

"Yes, idiota, now let me up or I will headbutt you, got it?"

"Sí, sí, Lovi, I understand." He finally let go, but before I could dart away Antonio and I both froze at the sound of wheels on gravel. Fuck. Last time I heard that noise, it was Hungary. I wanted to untangle myself from Antonio before she burst through the door, but it was like my brain forgot how to function.

"A-antonio…did you hear that too?" We both flinched at the sound of a car door slamming. He nodded in jerky motions. "Shit. Quick, we have to shut the window before Hungary climbs through it!

"How do you know it's Hungary, Lovi?"

"Because one should always suspect it is Hungary. That witch always turns up when you least expect it." Especially whenever Antonio or I were in a compromising position – not that there was actually anything going on, it would just appear that way and then Hungary would never stop pestering us about it.

"Lovi, that's not a nice thing to call Elizaveta," He scolded, but without much conviction.

"It's also not nice for her to break into my house and plant cameras and video recorders everywhere, is it?" I was convinced there was still one somewhere in my house that would just sit there, until someday I would forget about it, and then, well then that crazy bitch would turn it on when I least expected it…not that I would know - but I would feel her pervy eyes following me and then I'd never step foot in my house ever again. I'd have to burn the fucker to the ground; it would be the only way to make sure.

"Ah, sí, I suppose that's true." He still hadn't let go. "Dammit, Antonio, she's going to be here any second, let go!"

"But, Lovi, if it is Hungary, won't she knock on the door? She did at your house, so she's not going to climb in through the window." I wouldn't put it past her. "Don't worry so muc –"

"Ei, babaca!" I stopped prying Antonio's hands off to listen. The voice was distinctly male (Grazie a Dio), so it couldn't be Hungary and while I couldn't put a name or face to that voice, I knew I'd heard it before; it must have been a long time ago though. "Where are you, irmão? If you do not answer I am going to break in. Though I'll admit I'd be surprised if you actually had it locked." Antonio on the other hand seemed to recognize it instantly since he practically threw me off his lap and made a mad dash for the door. I wasn't sure if it was to let him in or lock him out.

"Hey, bastard, what was that for?" I snarled after his retreating figure. I didn't get an answer as he whipped around the corner into the hallway and out of sight. Cursing and complaining, I got to my feet and started to follow. Might as well go figure out who that was and run interference before Spain and España show up.

I could hear the door open as I left the living room and a loud "Olá" from whoever was at the front door. Antonio replied with a rather unmanly squeaking sound. Who the fuck was at the door?

"João! What are you doing here?" I peeked around the corner, trying to catch a glimpse of the man at the door. Antonio was too tall, and was hindering my view. As the man moved to step in, Antonio moved to block him and once again my view of him. I had a name though, I just couldn't think who that name belonged to.

"What? Can't a man visit his maninho?" I took a step out from behind the wall, trying to get a better view. Antonio moved again. That asshole better not be doing this on purpose. Who was he hiding from me? "Why are you trying to keep me out of your house? Are you hiding something, irmão? Do you have company?"

"Why are you here? You never visit me, João."

"Well, I heard some things from that unsavory company you keep, and although I do not trust that cuzão, he said I should check up on you, so here I am. Now what's wrong? He knows I hate him, so I know he wouldn't have risked talking to me unless something was up. So what is it?"

"Nothing is wrong! Who told you that there was something wrong?" I heard a snort of disbelief. Antonio sounded panicked, and if you knew him as well as I did, those short rapid sentences, and tense shoulders meant –

"You're lying, Antonio. You're not that good at lying to begin with, and even if you were, I've known you for centuries; you did not honestly think you could lie to me, did you? Now what is the matter?" I stepped further into the hallway at the same time the man, João, shoved Antonio aside and stepped into the house. His eyes landed on me at the exact second I realized who was standing in the doorway. I'd have had to been an idiot not to recognize him, even if I'd never met him before, which I had, just looking at him I would have known he and Antonio were related.

"Ah, so you do have company, maninho." Portugal grinned, nudging Antonio with his elbow. Portugal looked like an older version of Spain. His hair, although not quite as long as the pirate's, was similarly pulled back in a horsetail and his eyes were a bright shade of green, not quite as brilliant as Antonio's, but still unnaturally vibrant. The main difference however, was the jagged scar that cut through his left eyebrow and somehow managed to miss damaging the eye beneath it before continuing its line down his cheek. Then again, perhaps it hadn't missed his eye but as a country it had healed over the centuries. Unlike any of the tomato-bastards, he had scruff. I briefly wondered what the original Antonio might have looked like with scruff and had to quickly shove that thought from my head – Not because it would be…attractive or anything stupid like that, but because he was just so ugly…yep, ugly…dammit.

"Ah, so this is who you've been hiding. Olá, Romano. How long have you and my brother been together?"

I should be used to people jumping to that particular conclusion by now, but it still made me blush and caused Antonio and I to both stutter out denials.

"Lovi, and I are not together, João. We're just friends." Portugal stared quietly at the two of us for a few moments before smirking.

"I don't believe you. Why else would you have tried to hide him from me?" That was a good question. If anyone needed hiding it was Spain and Antonio. España was the only one I trusted to keep this whole curse nonsense a secret. Although the original Antonio and Portugal had never really gotten along, they're still brothers, so it wasn't inconceivable that he would let Portugal know. Not that that was a bad thing, but the fewer nations that knew, the better.

Antonio's response was to once again blush and give incoherent stutters before making an excuse that he needed to go to the kitchen and start lunch, thus he abandoned me in the hallway with his brother. Portugal and I watched him go, before turning puzzled looks at each other.

"So now that my brother is gone, will you tell me why he was hiding you, Romano?" He asked, head cocked to one side, and a smirk that reminded me of Spain.

"How the hell should I know, Portugal?" I snarked, turning away from him, intending to locate Spain and España and warn them to stay away for as long for as Portugal was here. I figured neither or the two would want to see him anyways since, during their time, he was good friends with England. I have to imagine that felt like the worst betrayal ever, your brother would rather join with your most hated enemy than join with you. I'm glad Feliciano was too cowardly to join up with anyone to stand against me…though it probably wouldn't work anyway since we're the same country and we would just end up tearing ourselves apart.

"You can call me João if you would like, Romano." I looked back at him. I had met Portugal occasionally when I was still Antonio's colony, but I didn't think we were on first name basis just yet. He may be Antonio's brother, but they weren't close, so I didn't see why I was obligated to be nice to him, especially since Antonio was trying to get rid of him. "Do you know what's wrong with my little brother? France wouldn't have lied to me about that, even if he is an asshole." I could feel a grin threatening to make an appearance.

"He's a complete bastard is what he is" I clarified. "If I never see that perverted creep again it will be too soon." Portugal's teasing smile turned into a real grin.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Romano."

"João, you can call me Lovino."

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><p>Spain was sifting through the older, lesser used bedrooms, wondering what had happened to his great empire. These rooms had once been filled with his lackeys and colonies, but all that remained now where a few tan uniforms or abandoned brooms. Only Romano remained, but even Roma was no longer truly his. He shut the door to the room that Bella used to occupy way back when. It felt like only months ago, not the centuries he had come to accept had passed.<p>

As he shut the door he could hear voices drifting up from downstairs. Loud voices. This wouldn't normally be a problem since Antonio liked to talk loud and Romano liked to yell at him. Problem was, only one of those two voices coming from downstairs belonged to the aforementioned nations. He could only hear Romano, and although he recognized the second voice, it wasn't one he expected to be in this house, especially not talking to his Roma.

It didn't take long for him to get down those stairs and into the living room where the voices were coming from. What he saw wasn't what he'd been expecting to see. He'd predicted angry yelling and violence; after all, Roma didn't take well to strangers. So imagine his surprise when he found his querido and his hermano, sitting on the couch, enjoying a conversation with one another about Francis of all nations. Should have known, his brother hated Francis almost as much as Roma did.

Romano wasn't even cursing at João, in fact, he only seemed to be using profanity when he was insulting France. He didn't once call João a bastard. Why was his brother an exception? Why was Spain, the man that Romano knew and had grown up with, called a bastard but his brother, a stranger, was not?

He couldn't let João corrupt his precious amor. If left alone, João might convince Roma that he and England should be friends. Then England would turn his precious Roma against him. He would never understand why João complained about his friends when _he_ was the one that befriended that caterpillar-face. He had to intervene.

It wasn't that he was worried that João would try and steal Romano from him, it had more to do with him being worried that Romano would prefer his brother…is this what Roma felt like? Always worried that his brother would outshine him, steal everyone's attention until he was all alone.

No, because Romano should know by now that he has nothing to worry about where it concerns Feliciano or anyone else for that matter; his worries, however, were completely justified. João was more charming than he was. João was nicer.

"Why Antonio is friends with that fuckface I'll never know." His brother laughed at Roma's words. After the most recent series of events where Francis had tried to take what was clearly Spain's, mainly Roma, he wasn't so sure how much longer that would last.

"I call him that too," João laughed again and Roma laughed with him. Okay, he had to get in there and break this up, they were just too…friendly. No one should be allowed to hear Roma's beautiful laugh. The fact that his brother, who had only been there for a few minutes, had been able to get _his_ amor to laugh after he himself had failed to do so was unacceptable.

Spain strutted into the room and dropped down onto the couch directly beside his amado at the end of the couch. He slipped an arm around Romano's slim waist in order to pull him to his side and away from João. As far away from João as possible.

"I thought you were making lunch, irmão," Portugal mused aloud. He stared blankly at João before catching on; his brother must have already seen Antonio, España wouldn't have left Romano alone with their brother. Unlike Antonio, it wasn't hard for Spain to spin an effortless lie to his older brother, "You two sounded like you were having fun out here, so I set the…oven," Dammit, he still fumbled over names for this new technology. ", on low and decided to join you. You do not mind do you?" Not that he would care if his brother did in fact mind.

João just shook his head and shrugged. "I suppose not brother; after all, I did come all the way over here just to visit you."

Why didn't he believe that for even a second.

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><p>I looked between the two of them as they gave half glares to each other. Spain finally turned his attention to me, "You do not mind either, do you, mi tesoro?" Portugal gave an almost unnoticeable twitch at the pet name. I shook my head, knowing that if I tried to give a verbal answer I would end up stuttering like Antonio had not too long ago.<p>

"I did not think you would." With that he pressed a kiss to my temple, and then leaned back on the arm of the couch, dragging me with him, so that I was forced against his side.

Portugal looked in between Spain and I. If that bastard had just kept his hands to himself, or had Antonio not run away to the kitchen stuttering and blushing like a moron, then Portugal wouldn't be suspicious right now. "Didn't you say you and Lovino were not together?" He was smirking now. "Or did I hear you wrong?"

Spain, much to my surprise handled the question relatively smoothly. "I did say that. However, I never said that I did not want to be." The grin he shot me was positively filthy and were it not for Portugal's persisting presence, I was sure Spain would have pushed me down flat on the couch and snogged the breath out of me right then and there. He might anyway if he honestly believed Portugal was a threat. He gave an over dramatic sigh that disturbingly reminded me of France…eww, "Alas, mi amado is very stubborn. Aren't you, Roma?" He purred in my ear.

"I'm going to break your nose if you don't stop acting creepy." I growled, trying to push his arm off me, only to be pulled closer.

"See what I mean, hermano?" Spain asked as if he were the one being wronged at the moment. Portugal chuckled at the two of us, but neither agreed nor disagreed with the younger.

"Why don't you just go back to the kitchen and finish lunch, sí?" I snarled, flailing uselessly. "Then Anto-you and I can finish our siesta." Spain's eyes narrowed, he and España must not have been aware of that nap Antonio and I had together. Once Portugal was gone Spain would probably throw me over his shoulder, carry me to his room, and then lock me in there so he could keep Antonio away. Then do whatever it is jealous perverts do.

"Aren't you supposed to siesta after lunch, Romano?" João questioned, looking at his brother closely, studying the annoyed expression that the pirate was giving me.

"Yes, but this bastard was in a rush to take a siesta so we skipped lunch. That's why he's in the kitchen making me lunch right now – or at least he's supposed to be." I turned on Spain, hoping Portugal wouldn't notice the slip. Spain turned a brief glare on me and then his brother.

"I suppose I should go check on lunch then," He ground out. His arm slowly slipping from my side as he pushed himself up on his feet. He looked like he wanted to say more but instead shot a warning glare at his brother and then left the room, his hands balled into fists.

"That was strange." João muttered, staring after his younger brother. There were many things about Spain that were strange, but this was relatively normal behavior for the pirate.

"You get used to it." Dammit how I wish that wasn't the truth. Portugal gave me a doubtful look.

"So, now that my brother is not here, tell me the truth? What exactly is your relationship with him?" I should have known he'd ask something like this after Spain's little stunt. "Now, don't think that I am against the two of you being together. Truthfully, Brazil and I have been placing bets about when you two would finally get over yourselves and just go for it. Even though he and I aren't on the best of terms, I still want my maninho to be happy. If you are what makes him happy, as I suspect is true, then I have nothing left to say on this matter.

"However, I can plainly see that Antonio loves you." Dammit, why was I blushing? I knew this already. "And if you do not feel the same way about him, you need to tell him now before you hurt him too badly, Romano. The last time I saw my brother truly heartbroken was the day he had to sign you over after the War of Spanish Succession. I would hate to see him broken in such a way again. I do not believe that he could be fixed if you let him fall for you as you are right now and not return those feelings."

I couldn't think of anything to say as he pinned me with his intensely green eyes. Antonio, though almost identical to João, could never look so serious. That stare terrified me; it promised unspeakable pain and misery should I even think of hurting Antonio in such a way. It was a promise I was confident Portugal could keep too should it become necessary. I can't say I blamed him for it. As much as I complained about Germany, I had given him a very similar speech a month after he started seeing Feliciano. Obviously there had been a less approving tone and a ludicrous amount of death threats within that particular speech, but there had still been acceptance of the inevitable: my brother wasn't ever going to let go of that macho potato bastard.

"Take your time, Romano. I don't expect you to proclaim your undying love for my brother. I may not have been around you much when you were one of Antonio's colonies, but I've seen you enough at World Meetings to know you have a hard time saying exactly how you feel, even to those close to you. I just need to know if you feel anything at all towards him."

I tore my eyes away from his to stare at my feet. "I-I don't know," I whispered. "I don't…I've been trying to figure out for months and I don't…" I released a shuddering breath. "I want to." I confided in as quiet a voice as possible.

João hummed. "I suppose that's good enough for me." My head shot up and I watched as he gave me a wide grin. "You must care about my brother a whole lot to even admit that much to me." His grin grew even further if possible. "My brother is a lucky man, Romano." He laughed at my blush. "Don't worry, I won't tell him anything. This is between you and me, right?"

"Yes…between you and me." I tried to stop the smile that tried to break free. It felt better having someone to sort of talk to about this thing with Antonio.

"And what, pray tell, is it that is between you and my brother, mi amorcito?" España rumbled from the doorway. I cringed, oh God, how much of that did he hear? I slowly turned my head to look at him. He was leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed and an accusing eyebrow raised at me.

"N-nothing, Esp-Antonio." That eyebrow hiked even higher, before he looked at his brother. España was the smart one; he must have figured out that Portugal had already seen the others. "Is-is lunch finished?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't act completely clueless.

"Almost, I wanted to ask for your help setting the table, Romano." His attention quickly snapped to my brother. "Why don't you make your way to the dining room, João? I trust you still know where it is, sí?" His attention just as quickly switched back to me and he jerked his head over his shoulder, ordering me to go to the kitchen. Any other time I would have chewed him out for ordering me around like this, but right now I was too paranoid that Portugal would find out about England's spell. Then agian, those two were friends, so eyebrow-bastard might have already told João about it.

I couldn't get off the couch fast enough, as soon as I was on my feet I was scuffling towards the door, my head bowed, unable to meet España's eye. How much had he heard!? Did he know? España continued to stand in the doorway, completely motionless, until Portugal left the room presumably heading towards the dining room. As soon as he was gone, España turned around and walked with me towards the kitchen. Before we got there he gripped my upper arm and pulled me to a halt.

"What is wrong, Romano? You act as if you are frightened of me–I do not want you to ever feel as if you have reason to fear me. I am not angry at you if that is what you are worried about, amorcito. You can keep whatever secret it is that you and João have. I just…I wish you would trust me." Damn him. I grudgingly wrapped my arms, loosely, around the conquistador, letting my head rest on his chest. He slowly let his arms come to enfold me, as if he were not certain that this was really happening.

"I told you it's nothing, dammit. He just threatened me a bit, told me to be nice to you, well, Antonio, and to not hurt that dumbass." I tightened my grip knowing that España's kneejerk reaction to hearing that a threat, no matter who the source, had been directed at me was to grab his war axe and go on a killing spree. "He was kidding, you brother is actually sort of not a bastard."

"Careful, I'll get jealous and have to get rid of mi hermano anyways, Romano." I snorted, before pushing him away.

"Let's just get to the kitchen before Antonio or Spain screw everything up."

He chuckled. "Don't worry, Antonio finished lunch and Spain went upstairs to wait until our brother leaves. He was complaining about a siesta for some reason. Do you have any clue why?" I just shrugged and quickened my pace.

"Wait." España grabbed my wrist this time. "I'm going to go upstairs too so you and Antonio will be having lunch with my brother. Try to keep him out of trouble." Like he needed to tell me? "Also, try and get rid of João as quickly as possible. Every time he's around it seems like England is not too far behind."

"That was a long time again, España. They're not quite that close anymore. Besides, England is probably with America right now. Wherever the fuck they are, it's far away from here." España nodded shortly.

"Very well, I shall see you soon, mi amorcito." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss upon my lips before I could protest and just as fast he had retreated noiselessly up the stairs.

"I'm never going to get used to that," I muttered, covering my mouth as if he'd come back for seconds. I walked quickly to the kitchen, the smell of shallots and basil greeting me before I could get to the end of the hallway. My stomach growled loud enough I was sure Spain and España would be able to hear it from upstairs. The closer I got, the more I could smell; lemon, peppers, tomatoes and – oh God, was that shrimp? Antonio truly was a wonderful man – you know, sometimes…not often though.

When I finally entered the kitchen, I just stood in the doorway for a few seconds watching Antonio scramble to get whatever the hell it was he had cooked into serving bowls while simultaneously gathering silverware.

"Let me help, bastard," I teased walking over and taking the silverware from him and then collecting three plates from one of the upper cupboards.

"Thank you, Lovi." Antonio beamed, final getting everything sorted and scooping up a bowl of what looked suspiciously like linguine mixed with shrimp, peppers, olives and more tomatoes than what the original recipe probably called for. If my eyes didn't deceive me there appeared to be sundried tomatoes thrown in there as well. Cheese was sprinkled liberally on top.

"…Did you make pasta for me, ba-Antonio?" He grinned.

"Of course, Lovi. While we were at your house you would cook my favorite foods, so it's only right that I return the favor. I just hope you like it. I tried really hard, and since we harvested yesterday the tomatoes are fresh. I know it won't be as good as your cooking, and it's not really Italian, but I really hope you–"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Tonio." I never directly complimented his cooking, but he had to realize by now that he was an amazing cook…wait, he's an idiot. He probably hasn't.

"Let's go before, João, gets bored and starts snooping." I walked away, assured that Antonio would follow. When I reached the dining room and Antonio wasn't behind me I turned to find him standing in the hallway staring after me in shock. "What is it, bastard?" I asked, ignoring the amused snort from João at the end of the table.

"You called me Tonio."

…

"There is no fucking way that happened! Now stop making things up and get your ass in here, tomato-bastard." I all but slammed the plates down on the table.

Both of the Iberian nations grinned at me. João went so far as to start snickering. "Whatever you say, Lovinito." Antonio said as he brushed past me, leaning into me more than was absolutely necessary, as he set the pasta on the table. Affectionate bastard.

After everything was situated and the table was set, I sat at the opposite end of the table from João and Antonio sat to the side between us. Plates were passed around and Antonio took it upon himself to dish the pasta out.

"Will this be enough, João?" Antonio asked, loading more pasta onto his brother's plate before he received an answer.

"That's more than enough, Antonio." The plate was passed back to him and after he set it down he looked up at Antonio and grinned. "Now, I have to ask the both of you something." I exchanged a quick glance with Antonio, he was probably wondering what João was going to ask and worrying that he was going to ask even more questions about our "relationship". It's what I was worrying about because I knew I didn't have any answers that I was willing to give in front of the tomato-bastard.

João smirked at us. "Are the others going to join us, or are we just going to sit here and pretend that there aren't two other versions of my brother somewhere in this house?"

Antonio and I both froze up. I thought about denying it, but João was smart enough to see through any lie I could come up with, especially when one considers that it was pretty fucking obvious that he'd already figured everything out.

"When did you realize?"

"When Spain came in. You think I wouldn't have noticed he had short hair one moment and a horse tail the next? Even without that clue I'd have known as soon as he got possessive of you. Antonio likes you, but he's not that bold and never will be." Antonio ducked his head. "It also helped that the others are so vastly different not only from Antonio, but from each other. The second one I saw was violent enough, but he was nowhere near as dangerous as the one I saw last. He looked at me as if calculating all the ways he could kill me and then the places he could hide the body."

"Dammit, should've known you'd be smarter than the other nations." I admitted with grudging respect.

"Not smarter, okay, smarter, but it's hard to trick siblings. The others I saw were better at lying than Antonio, but there was just too much of a break in speak, too many pauses."

"My brother fell for it…then again, my fratello is a dumbass." There was nothing anyone could say to convince me otherwise. Knowing Feliciano, had he noticed anything unusual about Antonio he'd have blurted it out and started asking obnoxious questions in that obnoxiously loud voice of his until I shipped his obnoxious ass back to the macho potato's house. Did I mention he's an obnoxious little shit?

"Perhaps you are being too harsh on Italy." I rolled my eyes. João had obviously not spent enough time around my younger brother. "Or maybe not," He snickered as I gave him a dubious snort. Feliciano wouldn't have noticed unless pasta was somehow involved, seeing as Feliciano was an expert on all things pasta and pasta related. In all other aspects of life he was a blithering idiot who needed help to tie his shoes (That's probably an exaggeration. Or not. I'd have to ask the potato-bastard if that was true).

"So what do you call the others? I have to imagine it would get awfully confusing if you called them all Antonio." Another clever observation, I wouldn't be surprised if he was just asking for clarity sake and hadn't already figured it out.

"The dangerous one is España. The…possessive one is Spain. He is still Antonio." I said, nodding towards the aforementioned tomato-bastard sitting between us. He was holding my plate, having filled it only halfway before João's question froze him in place and left him staring at his brother like an open mouthed fish. "Snap out of it, Antonio," I growled, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

He mumbled out a sorry and then passed my plate to me. "Should I go get the others?" He asked, looking back at João.

"Might as well" I grumbled.

It took a few minutes for Antonio to return. A few awkward minutes of João staring at me, and me avoiding all eye contact by pretending to study the pasta on my plate as it cooled off, taking a bite every now and then just so I wouldn't have to talk (Dammit if I didn't want Antonio to cook for me every day for the rest of my life). While waiting from Antonio to get back, I could hear all three voices upstairs as they argued.

As soon as João left I was forcing Spain to cut off that stupid horsetail. If the other nations who had seen him had been less of an idiot (or not distracted by perverted thoughts), they would have found out just like João.

"How did he find out, Antonio?" That snarl sounded an awful lot like Spain. "He wouldn't have known had you just kept your stupid mouth shut."

"I didn't say anything!" Antonio whined, as they tromped down the stairs. "He just figured it out. João is a lot smarter than he looks."

"They know I can hear them right?" Portugal grumbled to me. "Ei, stop arguing and get in here sues tolos" The three tomato-bastards appeared shortly thereafter.

"No need to insult us, hermano." España said as he entered the room first with the other two not far behind. He took Antonio's abandoned seat and Spain took the remaining seat across from him leaving Antonio to pull up a chair and sit in between España and Portugal. After dragging a chair over to the table, Antonio left the room, heading towards the kitchen. He returned moments later with two more plates.

"Well, first things first," João said as he watched Antonio finally take a seat. "How exactly did this happen? Don't get me wrong, I've probably seen weirder in my days, not that I can think of an example at the moment, but this isn't something that can just happen at random."

"England cast some weird curse-shit-thing on him and now I'm stuck with the three of them until the spell _runs its course_."

"Arthur did this to him?"

"That's what I just fucking said isn't it?"

"Hmm…it does sound like something Arthur would do. I do not understand why he hates you so much, irmão, but I will have words with him and then I'm sure he will change you back." Portugal told the three confidently, giving them all a self-assured grin.

"I already _had words_ with that eyebrow-bastard, and he said he couldn't do anything about it. Even if there was something he could do, you know that bastard wouldn't." Portugal may not be all that involved in the original Antonio's life, but he had to at least be aware of just how much the two nations hated each other. England would rather give up his tea and scones forever (which might actually be a good thing) than help Spain and I'm pretty sure Spain would almost be willing to give up tomatoes rather than help the caterpillar-face…okay, that one had been a little too unrealistic, but it was damn close.

"You talked to Arthur? I thought you were afraid of him. Everyone knows that." The bastard had better not be mocking me. "You always stay far away from him at World Meetings and you usually run the other direction whenever he steps even a foot towards you."

"I am not afraid of him, bastard! I just have a healthy wariness of his cooking." All four of them chuckled at that. Damned bastards. "Yeah, well fuck all of you – No Spain, for the last damn time, that was not an offer." I hissed, kicking him under the table.

"I'm still not sure if he was being brave, or just stupid, but Romano went to visit Inglaterra, without telling us two weeks past," España shot me an annoyed glance. How could he still be angry about that?! "England didn't tell him anything useful."

"That's not completely true, he gave me some twisted riddle on how the spell could be reversed. Fuck if I could make heads of tails of it though," I groused. "Knowing my luck, I'll be stuck with all three of them for the rest of eternity."

"Would that really be so bad, mi amor?" Spain simpered, running his foot along mine before hooking his leg around my chair and pulling me closer.

"Don't make me kick you again, pirate-bastard."

"If you two could stop flirting with each other for a few seconds, I'd like to know what this riddle Arthur gave you said."

"We are not flirting," I snarled. Planting a foot on the closest leg of Spain's chair and shoving him as hard as I could away, although I ended up pushing myself more than I did him, but either way I had put distance between me and that damned pirate. I brandished my fork at him just to be sure he'd keep his distance, before putting it to better use and actually eating the fucking delicious pasta Antonio had made me.

"_Sure_." He gave a conspiratory wink to Spain.

"Never-fucking-mind," I grumbled. "England said something about only in accepting all could three become one, or some shit like that."

"Well that doesn't seem all that complicated" João shrugged. "They just have to want to be one person again. Simple as that."

"It can't be that simple…Can it?"

"I don't know. Probably. Most of England's spells have a really big loophole. He's not quite as good a warlock as he'd lead people to believe. Not that anyone believes that anymore, anyways. Not a lot of nations have faith in magic nowadays. I think it's mostly just Arthur. Maybe China since he's so old. I suppose the spell could also have to do with other nations accepting all three of them, but I can't say that with one hundred percent confidence. England didn't give you any further hints did he?"

"That bastard was about as helpful as Antonio would be with advanced trigonometry." João winced at the comparison.

"He can't have been that useless…right?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel like I should be insulted," I heard Antonio mutter to España, who just shrugged and replied that he'd never even heard of "a trigo-gnome-tree" and then asked what sort of creature it was and if he could kill it with his axe. To which Antonio then responded that he wasn't sure, but he'd ask "Lovi~" about it later. Son of a bitch, I lived with a bunch of idiots.

"You can go talk to him if you'd like, Portugal, but I'm pretty sure England isn't going to be of any further use. He'd probably only make things worse." I snarled, only half listening for Portugal's response, while simultaneously listening to the tomato-bastards' escalating conversations about gnome-trees as Spain too got involved and offered his opinion on how to best kill the tree dwelling trigo-gnomes.

"I think Heracles used to talk about these creatures. I do not remember what he said about them though. I lost interest when he said I couldn't kill them." I wasn't sure who said it, whether it was Spain or España, but words could not describe the amount of stupidity in that room.

"You three shut up! Trigonometry is math. Not a creature. Math!"

"So what you're saying is that I cannot kill it with my axe?"

"That is _exactly_ what I'm saying." The three looked at each other for a few moments, looking like they were having a silent conversation.

…

"Well I'm bored then," Spain declared. "So what are you two talking about?" I released a long-suffering sigh and just shook my head at Portugal.

"Don't look at me for answers, you've probably been around him more than I have," He sniggered.

I buried my face in my hands, before rubbing at my forehead trying to keep the oncoming headache at bay. "João and I were talking about how to change you back." The three looked like they were having another silent conversation, but didn't say anything after this time.

"What?" I growled, when they continued to stay silent and just give each other glares and questioning looks. "Say something or I swear to God, I'm making all of you sleep on the couch for the foreseeable future."

Portugal made a strangled sound as he tried to keep his shocked cry and laugh in at the same time. "You four share a bed?" He nudged Antonio until he gave him an affirmative nod. "Way to go, maninho!" He laughed harder as Antonio's face flushed entirely red, right up to his ears. "And here I thought you two were just friends." Spain joined him in his laughter. España sort of just smirked. I think it was the first time I'd ever seen him smirk and it was…distracting? Or disturbing? One of those two. "I can't believe you're hitting that." He leered.

Spain and España looked confused. "We would never hit, Roma." Spain snarled, taking offence at even the implication of inflicting harm on me. Antonio seemed to be the only one who understood for once, and once again his entire face flushed crimson.

"Ah, he gets what I'm talking about," He chuckled, "If you're not already, be sure to tap that, sí?" He winked at Antonio. "Then again, it sounds as if you are already–"

"It is not like that, you bastard" I growled. "You're almost as bad of a pervert as frog-face is." Portugal turned a fierce glare on me, his eyes narrowed to slits, and his mouth set in a grim line. I might have actually felt threatened a few months ago, before all this crazy shit happened, but now I just sneered back at him.

"Don't compare me to that verme." At this point João started yelling, Portuguese coming out rapid fire and all I could do was stare at him and wonder what the hell he was talking about. Was this what Antonio felt like whenever I got too angry and started spewing Italian at him? Antonio spoke Italian, but I don't think he was fluent enough to keep up when I was at my angriest like Portugal was right now.

"Calm your tits, bastard. I don't actually think you're as bad as the fuck-face. Now stop yelling jibberish and sit your ass back down" I fully expected him to either keep ranting or just leave, yelling insults back at me as he did, so one can imagine my surprise when he just gave me a wide eyed stare as if he wasn't sure what he was looking at. A grin slowly took over his face.

"That may not have been the best apology," Because it wasn't. ", But I'll accept it. You're a funny one, Romano." He turned to España, "Don't let go of this one, irmão. I might have to steal him from you, if you do." He should have known better than to say something like that in present company. I knew he was just teasing, but those tomato-bastards took it as a real threat. Even Antonio looked irritated.

Spain stood up, grabbed the back of my chair, and dragged me over to Antonio, who attached himself to me, much like a leech, as he glared at his older brother; Spain then stood between Portugal and I as if to block his brother's view of me. España calmly got up, and told his brother that, "Maybe it is time for you to leave, João". The underlying threat was anything but subtle if the way España's hands twitched, as if itching to get a hold of his war axe and see what the inside of João's head might look like, was any indication of what was to come should João decide to stay.

"Ah, of course, irmão." He laughed nervously. "You do know I was not being serious right?" España glared at him, his eyes a very dark green, showing his distrust at his brother's words. "Romano is cute and all, but I know he is yours and besides I'm not interested in other men–"

"Get out of my house, João," España rumbled his voice deep and chill inducing. This was España's you-have-only-seconds-left-to-live-should-you-disobey-me voice. I'd never been the recipient of that particular tone, but I'd heard it used on Lars a few times.

"Alright, I'll go. Hey, Romano, next time you see France, punch him for me would ya?"

"Of course, bastard."

"João!"

"I'm leaving. See, already out of the room. At the front door!" He called out. "See you later, maninho! Remember what I said. Be sure to tap that ass!" Spain looked like he was going to yell something after him, but the door slammed shut before he could get a word out and the squeal of João's tires as he peeled out of the driveway followed soon after.

"You can let go now, Antonio," I grumbled, trying unsuccessfully to disentangle myself once again from the clingy Spaniard. "He's gone, you all can stop acting psychotic." I stood up, Antonio still coiled around my waist. "Let go, dammit!" I pressed my hands to his forehead, trying to force him away, he just held on tighter.

"You know that you are mine, don't you, Roma?" Spain purred into my neck, stepping up behind, me and molding himself to my back, arms wrapping around my chest.

"He is ours," España grumbled, standing behind the chair Antonio was still seated in. He reached over and cupped my face in his hands, drawing me closer until his forehead touched mine. "You would never leave us for, João. Would you, Romano?"

"Lovi," Antonio sounded like he was pouting, I couldn't really see him since his face was still buried in my midriff. "You promised me you wouldn't leave."

"I only said I'd come back, bastard. And I was talking about our siesta in case you forgot. Besides, why the fuck would I go anywhere with Portugal? He actually likes that eyebrow-bastard." I scrunched up my nose at that thought. I could sort of understand why America would want to be around England, but I couldn't understand why any of the other nations would want to. Though other nations could probably ask Antonio the same thing about why he chose to be around me.

"He made you laugh, Roma." Spain muttered into my nape. "I've never been able to do that. You didn't insult him as much either."

"That's because I don't know him! And I'm sure you've made me laugh before…maybe. Look, I don't see why you all are jealous of Portugal; especially you, Antonio, since you said you're not interested in me that way anyways.

"I-I'm not! I just…I don't want you to leave, Lovi." He nuzzled into my stomach. "I'd miss you." I touch a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"I'm not going anywhere, tomato-bastard. I'm not interested in Portugal or anyone else for that matter, so I don't want you three acting like I'm going to run off. Besides, even if I did want to leave, it's not like I belong to any of you, I'm not your colony anymore. If I left, which I am not saying that I am, then it would be my choice."

"We know, amorcito." España murmured, brushing the tip of his nose along mine, and leaning closer to me. "That doesn't mean we won't do anything and everything we can to convince you to stay."

"Yes, because threatening to kill your older brother because you're jealous, is really going to convince me you're not a psychopath that I would probably be wiser to run away from." Spain snickered.

"Te amo, Romano." España whispered. Antonio's arms tightened almost painfully.

"Sí, te quiero." Spain purred into my hair. Antonio's arms slid completely off me and he practically darted to his feet, bumping into España as he stood and causing the other personification to stumble away from me.

"I-um, I may have left the oven on!" Antonio bolted from the room. The other tomato-bastards and I watched him leave. As soon as he disappeared from sight, España moved to stand in front of me again, this time he let his arms encircle my hips.

"Do not worry, amorcito. He'll get over whatever it is that is bothering him."

"I don't want to share you with him, but he does love you, querido." Spain added as he pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

I could feel my face and neck heat up. "I don't care if that bastard loves me or not! I don't really care that you two l-love me for some unexplainable reason." I shoved my way out of their arms and stomped out of the dining room. "I'm going to go finish my siesta."

"May we join you later, tesero?"

"What-fucking-ever. Do whatever the hell you want. I don't give a shit. Damn tomato-bastards and their damn overly clinginess." I continued to grumble curses at them as I headed up the stairs.

* * *

><p>As soon as he could no longer hear Romano's footsteps on the stairs, he looked over at Spain, both of them sporting anxious frowns. "This is Antonio's fault," Spain growled to him. "Why is that man so stubborn? He is even worse than Romano. At least our Roma will admit he feels <em>something<em>." He gave Spain a doubtful look. "Okay, he almost does, but still! Antonio needs to get over this…this hesitation of his."

"We cannot force our counterpart to do anything, Spain. No matter how much I'd like to. There is some reason why he cannot accept Romano, and I'll be damned if I don't find out that reason."

"I want to help you in this España, but sometimes I am not sure if it is possible to help that clueless idiot. Besides, even if we could convince him, I do not want to share Romano with someone so weak. I don't even want to share him with you, but I see I have no control over that." He groused.

"Trust me when I say the feeling is mutual." He let out a weary sigh and sank into one of the chairs, resting his head in his hands, fingers grasping his hair as if to pull it out in an attempt to relieve frustration. "Perhaps if we knew what exactly was stopping Antonio, we could help."

"You do know that he is Romano's favorite, right?" Spain sat in the chair opposite him. "You had to have noticed. He spends more time with him than he does with us and he smiles at him more than he does at us."

"Yes, I know this is true, Spain, you need not remind me." He still couldn't understand why the foul mouthed nation preferred Antonio, but he suspected it was because he was so much like the original, or at least, he reminded Romano more of the original.

"If we help that imbecile, then Romano will choose him over us…We will lose him." Spain tilted back in his chair, the front two legs coming off the floor, and pressed the heel of his hands to his eyes. "I do not want to lose mi amado, España."

"I do not want to lose him either, but we can keep him if we become one person again. Then we won't have to share."

"You and I both know it will not be that simple, España. Do not try and deceive yourself. As our brother said, we have to want to be one person again, or something to that affect, and I cannot imagine that you want to be joined with me anymore than I want to be joined with you."

"No, but you and I both know that we would do anything for Romano." Spain watched him in silence for a few moments before releasing an irritated breath.

"Alright, fine. You've convinced me you damned conquistador. Let's go find that moron and be done with this." The front legs of the chair dropped back down on the floor with a loud smack; Spain looked like he was dragging himself to a standing position.

He walked towards the kitchen, Spain following him at a distance. Hopefully Antonio would still be there and hadn't run off to find somewhere else to hide. "What even set him off?" Spain rumbled. "He was fine one moment and then the next he looked as if he'd have a heart attack."

"I may have been a part of that man once, but I do not understand him any better than you do, Spain." España said as he rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. Antonio was leaning over the sink, his head bowed, and his back ridged. The knuckles on his hands were turning white from the hard grip he had on the edge of the counter. His shoulders trembled.

"So what's the problem?" Spain asked right out. España supposed that was one way to go about things. It was straight to the point at least. Antonio flinched but did not turn around to face them.

"There is no problem. Nothing is wrong with me." His voice came out as a whisper, the line sounded emotionless and monotone as if he'd practiced this line over and over again. "I am perfectly fine."

"The hell you are!" The pirate roared, striding over to the other and seizing his upper arm. He yanked, spinning Antonio to face him. Antonio kept his head bowed and his eyes focused on the floor. "You need to tell us right now what it is you feel for Romano. And don't give me the 'we're friends' shit. I know you-I _am_ you. And I can tell you right here, right now, that I most assuredly do not regard him as a friend."

"I don't know what you're –"

"I told you not to give me that shit." The growl that escaped Spain was downright murderous and where España not similarly furious he might intervene. "I love Romano. España loves Romano. And I know for a fact that if you would just stop wearing your ass for a hat and man up, you would know that you love that Italian of ours too."

"I do love Romano. I just don't love him in the same way that you do –"

"That is a lie. You and I and everyone else in this world knows it!" España had to pull Spain off of Antonio before he strangled the older personification.

"Calm down, Spain." He shoved the still irate pirate towards the breakfast table and not so politely suggested that he sit his ass down. "Is there some reason why you don't love him that way?"

"I raised him, it would feel wrong –"

"Spain and I are both closer to the age we were when Romano was our colony; we do not have any memories after that point. You on the other hand have the original's memories of Romano as he grew older. If any of us here should have an issue with this it would be one of us, but we both realized and accepted that he is not a child anymore, we were never a brother or parent to him, and he is ours to love and protect should he return those feelings."

"That's just it! You didn't see him grow up. You didn't see how he's changed from his colony days. For you, he's like an entirely different person than the colony you knew; that I raised. He may not be like my brother or anything like that, but I cannot see him in _that_ way."

"That is a lie. If you really had no feelings for him – if the original really had no feelings for him, then neither would we. You know us, we never do anything halfway. If the original loved Romano, then every part of him did."

"The more I think about it," Spain added, finally calmed down enough to not try and murder Antonio. "You're the reason why Romano is not already ours. You're the part of the original that kept doubting and worrying and pushing him away." Spain eyes narrowed again. "I'm glad I'm not a part of you anymore and I hope to never be again." The last words were hissed and it appeared that Spain would once again try and throttle Antonio to ensure that they could never become one person again.

Antonio's shoulders drooped. "I…I don't know what I feel for him. I just, I want to love him, but I can't tell what kind of love. I can't stop seeing him as he was. I can't forget that at one time in my life I really felt he was my brother."

"He's not the same person anymore, Antonio. He's not going to be that person ever again. You can't continue like you are. Romano needs someone to love him, and I-we want to be that person, but we can't be if you won't accept it."

"But what if you doesn't want me? He likes you two, I can see that, but I don't think he feels the same way about me. I don't want to ruin everything. Romano is my best friend in the world. I would hate to ruin that." He watched as Antonio hugged himself. If this was what he was really worried about then there was nothing he or Spain could do to help. This was something that could only be worked out between Romano and Antonio. He understood that, but he also knew that Antonio was, as Romano would put it, being a compete dumbass.

"You are a coward." Spain spat at him. "I cannot and I will not believe that I was ever a part of a weakling like you." He continued to glare at Antonio. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go join Roma for that siesta. I don't want to hear any more from this worm of a man." Spain followed Romano's example and stormed up the stairs, leaving the two behind.

"Antonio -"

"He's right. I know that he is." He moped.

"I'm not going to disagree with you on that. Although I will say that it'd probably help to actually talk to Romano rather than running away all the time. You're going to hurt him eventually if you keep doing that." Antonio just nodded. "I'm going to go join Romano as well. I would advise you pull yourself together and do the same." He locked eyes with Antonio for a few seconds hoping to see some sort of understanding, before he trailed after Spain.

As he walked up the stairs he couldn't stop thinking about the broken look in Antonio's eyes. What had happened after his Conquistador days? After the days of Spain's armada? He didn't have any memory of those days and he was sure Spain didn't either. Did something happen to make Antonio doubt himself this much? He-they used to be one of the most powerful nations in the world. Then again, he didn't know much about how the world was run in this era; did Antonio even hold an important position in the world anymore?

España made it to the top of the stairs and walked into Romano's room. The little Italian was already curled up in his bed, sheets tucked up almost to his ears. He was either asleep or really good at pretending to be. Maybe having to give Romano up was the cause of Antonio's reservations. Why risk losing him again if you didn't have to?

Romano's eye lashes cast a shadow on his cheek, his lips were just slightly parted, and a small smile graced his mouth. He was snoring, but it was such a quiet thing, España wouldn't have noticed had he not been listening closely. Romano was worth that risk. Antonio just had to see that.

He watched as Spain crawled into the bed beside Romano and hugged him to his chest, whispering a soft "Te amo" as he pressed a kiss to the younger man's hair. España wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or not, but he was sure he heard an answering "Ti amo". He determined after Spain showed no reaction to those beautiful words that it had all been in his head.

España looked back into the hallway, wondering if Antonio was still down in the kitchen. He shook his head, not his problem right now. He had his amorcito to curl up with right now, and that was all that mattered. He climbed into bed on Romano's other side, drawing him to his side.

He stayed awake listening to Romano's breathing, thanking God for Romano even though he knew that because of his past crimes he did not deserve this angel in his arms nor had he done anything to earn his love. He released quiet laugh at the thought of Romano's reaction to being called an angel, probably with contradictory curses and angry blushes.

He kissed Romano's cheek before he let himself relax and try to join Romano in sleep. Antonio never showed and España briefly wondered about what the other personification was doing. Rather, he did until Romano murmured something incomprehensible in his sleep and nestled up to him, reminding him that he had better things to focus on than Antonio's fear of rejection

A huge yawn escaped him, causing his jaw to pop and reminding him that it was time to stop thinking and just sleep. He nuzzled his amorcito's hair, avoiding that one curl which always earned Spain a punch to the stomach when he threatened to touch it, and let his eyelids slide shut. "Goodnight, mi precioso."

"Goodnight, España." Romano mumbled into his collar bone, as his fingers curled into the other's shirt. "Just make sure you keep your pervert hands to yourselves," Despite these words, Romano didn't protest when Spain crowded in, snuggling into his back ", bastard."

España chuckled. "I love you," He whispered into Romano's hair, hoping that there would be a response, but all he received was snoring from both his bedmates. "Sleep well, mi cielo."

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><p><strong>AN: I decided which was the oldest based on the year they were declared as independent countries (Portugal in 1139; Spain in 1492), even though I know age isn't really clear for these two in Hetalia.**

**Regarding Portugal's name in this fic, as he is not yet an official character in Hetalia, and all Himaruya has done is release character sketches (both male and female), I had to pick a name from the random bunch of fanon names for him. I stuck with the name on the fanwiki. If he is ever given an official human name, I will go back and change it. If he already has an official name, I couldn't find it, so if you know it please tell me (actual name, not a fanon name you prefer over João). I also do not know what exactly Portugal looks like since all I've seen are vague pen and pencil sketches, so I do not know if he has a scar or not. It looks like he does in some of the pictures and I've seen a lot of fanart of him with a scar, so I'm going to keep the description as is unless the character changes dramatically between now and the time he (or possibly she) is made an official character.**

**I do not speak Portuguese in any way shape or form and while I did as much research as I possibly could on the words I used in this chapter, I still have no clue if any of these words are right or used in the right context. If there's any native speaker willing to point out my mistakes please do, I've already had people doing that with my Spanish and I greatly appreciate it.**

**Well, that is all. Until next time.**


	23. Ch 22: Kissing and Reminiscing

**A/N:**

**Sorry this took so long, but once again, I hope to appease you with how long this chapter is. I was planning on uploading this on Valentine's Day, but I got busy with work, so I'll just have to wish you guys a (very) belated Valentine's Day and hope you'll accept this late gift. I realized when I started to post this chapter that I haven't replied to the reviews I got. When I started to, my email decided to be an asshole and is currently inoperable, so I have yet to respond to all of you. I will as soon as I can. **

**Thanks to all of you guys who have left reviews, Aqua Cahill, FieryEnblem, Yohanna, Jojo the Awesome, Thelastweirdo, thatshyanon, Rchan, KitsuneMagic48, Yoey the Awesome, Teh Awesome Anon, A random fan, b4ndg33k, Alice D. Lovett, PassionSmile, SaviieDinofish6411, SideraSkotadi, MiriamTodd321, doiteain, Anya3, Sesi Braginskaya, Bookslover21, Luciangrl, The Puzzler of Riddles, BAYBAY841, I-am-the-Wolf, lunynha, Tiili97, and scarletnight72. Hope I didn't leave anyone out. Thanks to all of my readers and subscribers, you guys are awesome. Thanks for sticking with this story; I've had fun writing it.**

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><p>So fucking warm right now and comfortable and dammit I don't ever want to get up. I wasn't even that tired, I was just so comfy that all I wanted to do was stay here, curl up, and sleep all day. So what if that meant staying stuck between Spain and España? If it weren't for the inevitable molesting that was sure to come from Spain, I'd want to just stay here indefinitely. It would be better than trying to figure out what I was going to say to Antonio. These tomato-bastards seemed to have a better understanding of what was wrong with the dumbass than I did, but despite my reluctance to get involved in Antonio's angsty shit, I still felt sort of obligated to cheer him up. We were…friends after all.<p>

Now all I had to do was convince my body that it was a good idea to leave the warmth and all around blissfulness and get out of this bed. I stretched my arms up over my head as best I could without smacking either the conquistador or the pirate in the face. Dios that stretch felt almost as good as just lying here did. That stretch went all the way up my spine, arched my back and curled my toes.

Spain had wrapped his arms completely around my torso as I had been stretching and now had his face pressed against my back. España had also taken the opportunity to pull me back to his chest and tuck my head under his chin.

Okay, time to get up. I placed my hands flat on the bed and got ready to crawl out backwards like I usually did when I was trapped under a pile of tomato-bastards. There were only three steps to this plan of escape: One. Slowly slide my knees up so I can shift some of my weight onto them without jostling either bastard too much. Two. Untangled myself from Spain's arms and carefully move them to the side. Thre –

Spain's arms surrounded me once again; he moved so fast I didn't even have time to blink before I was pulled back down between him and España, this time facing the pirate, who was doing a damn good job of nuzzling into the bend between my neck and shoulder. "Where do you think you are going, mi amor?" He hummed into my skin, trailing light kisses as he spoke; causing surprisingly pleasant tremors to run up my spine. "It is still very early, you should go back to sleep." He started to nibble on the spot where my jaw connected, just beneath my ear.

"It's not that early, dumbass. Besides, bastard, how am I supposed to go back to sleep when you're doing perverted stuff like this?" I growled, trying to push his face away but only succeeding in pushing myself closer to España who sounded as if he was starting to wake up. A squeak (a manly squeak, dammit) escaped me as Spain bit down just a little too hard on the junction between neck and shoulder; it hurt, but it was a brief pain which was gone as soon as it had come and left a warm tingling in its place. Fucking hell, that was probably going to bruise and then Spain would strut around this house like he owned it (okay, he fucking does, but he's still going to act like more of a cocky bastard than usual). "Don't bite me, you asshole!" I renewed my struggles to escape. Forget being comfortable. It was more important to be unmolested.

"Don't bite you?" He looked genuinely confused for a few seconds. "But, mi tesoro, how else are the others supposed to know that you are mine, and besides, I know you like it." The hell I did. That was the worst fucking lie if I ever heard one. "You always blush so cutely and make those beautiful sounds. And in case you hadn't noticed, you even arched up into me." His voice had taken on a deep, gravely quality as he said this. "So, be honest and if you can, tell me you don't like it."

Shit, I could feel the blush as it quickly took over my face. España better wake up soon and save me from this pirate-bastard, because I didn't know how much longer I could keep saying no. That ability was quickly abandoning me with every hot kiss and sharp nip Spain left on my skin. Oh fuck, he was moving on to my ears now. Another bite, this time delivered to the tip of my ear, had my hands shooting up to cover my mouth and hopefully muffle the sounds that desperately tried to make their way out.

"Spain, st-stop." I don't care what anyone said, that did not fucking come out as a whimper nor did I tilt my head back to give him more room to work. None of that fucking happened, dammit!

"I think you are missing a 'don't' somewhere in that plea, mi amado." He snickered, placing a soothing kiss on the bite he'd just made. "Now, I have always wondered, but never received an answer, and seeing as I have your undivided attention right now and there is nowhere you can possibly escape to; what exactly does this odd curl do?"

My heart stopped at those words. I may have slowly been giving in to Spain's ministrations – okay, I was giving in pretty fucking quickly, but it's not my fault, that bastard is just very good at this and – fuck it, point is those words quickly sent me back into escape mode and had me scrambling to get out of Spain's arms and flee from the room faster than Feliciano would from England.

España, instead of waking up like I'd hoped he would, rolled over so that his back was to us. That bastard! Couldn't he hear that my virg-vital regions were in serious jeopardy right now? Stupid oblivious bastard!

"That's none of your damn business, asshole! Now stop doing these perverted things and let me go back to sleep." He just snorted and pinned my shoulders to the bed. "I'm serious, Spain. Don't you dare touch my c – AH!" My head snapped back straight into my pillow, my back arched up off the bed and all I could do with my hands was just grasp the back of Spain's shirt and hold on for dear life. I tried to remember how to breathe as Spain stared down at me with something akin to wonder. "Yo-you bast-stard. I told you not t-to touch."

His smirk was positively evil, "But, mi amor, if doing this can draw such a wonderful reaction out of you, why shouldn't I?" He chose to gently pull on that curl, earning him yet another pleasured cry and my finger nails digging through his shirt and hopefully into his back. "Hmm, yes, very wonderful." He leaned in and started to place burning kisses along my neck again. "Why didn't you tell me what this curl did sooner, mi amante?" I might have cared more that he was leaving his marks all over me were it not for that infernal curl and his damnable teasing hands. "We could have had so much fun."

I was barely able to breathe now, much less make coherent threats. I wasn't even able to protest as Spain turned me completely onto my side and pulled me flush against him, the hand not torturing that curl of mine, was squeezing my ass. "I guess we'll just have to make up for lost time, sí?" He dipped his head to start leaving kisses on the hollow of my throat as his fingers continued to play with my curl.

There was a soft noise over my shoulder, but I barely noticed it over the sound of my own pants and Spain's dirty whispers. I was going to kill this bastard as soon as I was able to think clearly again. Fuck if that was going to happen anytime soon though, what with the way Spain was handling that fucking curl like it was his job; damn bastard. His hand slid down from my ass to cup the back of my thigh. He then used that grip to hitch my leg over his hip and draw me closer.

"Spain?" I tried to look over towards the voice, but as Spain's hips rolled against mine, I couldn't keep my eyes open. "R-romano?" Spain finally stopped playing with my hair curl long enough that I was actually able to focus on the person speaking, so I tilted my head back to look at him. "What is going on?" Looks like Spain and I had been making enough noise to finally wake that unhelpful conquistador.

I was tempted to snark at España 'what the fuck does it look like? Now help me, you useless bastard' but Spain had taken my exposed neck as invitation to leave yet another bite and all that came out was a strangled gasp. España watched the two of us with wide eyes before seeming to come back to his senses. He then narrowed his eyes at the scene; he looked conflicted for a few moments, but resolve seemed to quickly set in and he stared determinedly at Spain.

Finally, España was going to stop this. He was going to shove Spain off of me, and let me escape to the safety of another room. He would then beat the hell out of Spain so that he would never try something like this again. He was – "May I join you?" He was going to fucking ask for permission to help that pirate-bastard!?

"Fuck you!" I snarled. Or rather, tried to snarl. It sort of got interrupted halfway by yet another moan as Spain started to coil my hair curl around his finger. I'm not sure how España managed to interpret that as consent, but next thing I knew, his arms came to encircle my waist and he started to place warm kisses on my shoulder blade, his breath ghosting over my skin and raising goosebumps - When in the fuck did my shirt get removed?! I was pretty sure I had worn one to bed. Spain was a sneaky bastard, but I was sure he wouldn't be able to remove my shirt without my noticing – oh fuck! Spain was using that bare skin to his advantage and was peppering my skin with well place bites.

As España continued to lay gentle kisses on my shoulder and Spain nibbled on my collarbone I struggled to break free of their arms because I did not like this, dammit! I was not enjoying this sort of attention. So what if I was making those embarrassing noises or letting my fingers card through Spain's hair? My body was betraying me, dammit! I had no control over this. I most certainly did not enjoy the way España's lips pressed reverently to my skin as he traced the curve of my shoulder with kisses – those kisses did not, in any way shape or form make my heart speed up, nor did they make me feel like the most important person in the world. And I absolutely, no way in hell, enjoyed the careful way Spain marked my skin; making sure not to cause harm, but also making sure that I was clearly claimed .

I hated all this. I hated that my body was being disobedient and I had completely lost control my reactions to Spain's kisses. I hated that I was quickly losing the ability to think about anything other than how, maybe it wouldn't be too bad to stop resisting (not that I was really doing a good job of that right now anyways). I especially hated how good those soft caresses and possessive hands felt. The only thing I wanted right now was to shove them away and run back home where I would be safe. I did not like this at all…at least not much.

Fuck, those bastards were winning.

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><p>Those noises his Roma made were absolutely delicious. If Spain had known he'd get this sort of reaction just from that weird hair curl, he would have tried that the first time he saw his dear Roma all those months ago. If he wound that curl around his finger, Romano would make a deep moan, but if he just lightly pulled on it, Roma would release a high gasp and dig those blunt nails into his back. Dios, just imagining how it would feel if his amante were to do that as he made love to the beautiful Italian for the first time, made him want to take the little brunette right now, consequences be damned. He also had to take into consideration those short sharp gasps Roma made whenever he made a new bite; those were wonderful too. He had yet determined which sound was his favorite.<p>

It didn't even matter that España was intruding on this moment. If anything, his help in discovering the things Roma liked was appreciated. Not enough that when it gets down to it he will share Roma with the other, of course, but España had to have already known that. So far the other hadn't done much more than place kisses on the little Italian's back, as if mapping Roma. Strangely Romano seemed to enjoy what España was doing just as much as his own ministrations. He'd have to try being gentle with Roma next time and see what he enjoyed more.

He led out a soft groan as Romano's fingers grasped his hair and his tesoro accidently rolled his hips into his. Dios he felt amazing. Truly, this man was created just for him. He fit perfectly, those slim hips and slight frame. He was so stunning with his face flushed like this and his eyes half lidded; so docile, so needy, his lips parted as if begging for a kiss. A kiss he was more than willing to provide.

España, who he had been ignoring up until this point, grabbed Roma's chin and directed him so that he was looking over his shoulder at the conquistador. España then leaned forward and kissed _his_ amado. It wasn't the first time España had kissed Roma, Spain could have gotten over this were it not for one simple thing.

A low moan escaped Romano before he reciprocated. His hands leaving Spain's hair to coil instead in España's. He even started to roll away, trying to face the other, but Spain made sure to hold fast to Roma's leg and keep it firmly hitched over his hip. Romano had never kissed back. Not España and certainly not him –Well, that wasn't entirely true; there had been this one time where he was sure Roma had started to kiss him but then, as usual, Roma had blushed and shoved him away. Whether Roma had kissed him back or it had just been his imagination, Roma had definitely never let his lips mold to another's and press back as insistently as he was now. He most assuredly did not allow either tongue to come into play.

Any pleasant feeling he had felt just moments before shattered as his insides seemed to freeze and his heart twisted painfully. This was unacceptable.

Later, he'd probably regret not taking advantage of Roma's uncharacteristically pliant mood to steal a kiss of his own, but right now all he could think about was España stealing that first kiss with Romano. Sure, he had technically had Roma's first kiss, but it wasn't the same as a kiss Roma returned. That kiss too was supposed to be his. He'd promised Roma that he would be his first in _everything._ España had ruined that.

Well he was going to ruin anything else.

Spain tightly looped his arms around Roma then yanked him away from España and to his chest. He tried to ignore Roma's protests at the end of that kiss, the way his lips were still parted and he was gasping for air. He firmly planted a foot in España's chest and then kicked, succeeding in driving the other completely off the bed and onto the floor with a loud thump. Spain kept the Italian in a strong grip, refusing to let him move away as he glared over the edge of the bed where he knew España would reappear shortly.

As predicted España sat up, only his shoulders and up visible from this angle. The conquistador turned to face the bed, he looked at Spain as if unsure whether to be enraged or baffled. "Get the hell out of here, España." The conquistador quickly chose an expression at the words and glared at Spain.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, asshole. Get out of here." Spain's grip on Roma tightened, probably painfully, but there was no way he was going to let go while España was still in the room, just waiting to snatch _his_ Roma's attention away again. "I am not going to share mi amado with you. Now leave."

España got that wild glint in his eye as he glowered back at Spain. Two could play at that game; he was just as crazy as that bastard when it came to Romano. "I was not aware he was solely yours," España growled "In fact, I'm pretty sure he is_ mine_." España stood up, bringing himself to his full height so he could scowl down at him. Spain sat up, dragging Romano with him, depositing the younger nation in his lap and keeping him as close as physically possible. He ignored Romano as he pushed on him, probably trying to get out of the way of this argument.

"I will not let you have him, España."

The conquistador laughed at him. "As if you have a choice. In case you did not notice he was just as interested in me as he was in you. To think I was willing to share him with the likes of you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"It means you are scum, not worthy of looking at mi amorcito, much less touch him as you did. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to try and get along with you and share Romano. You are obviously not good enough for him."

"If I'm not good enough for him, then you certainly aren't." He snarled, sort of shoving Romano off to the side, gently of course, so he could properly face España. "You slaughtered thousands, and for what? Some land that isn't even yours anymore!"

España's eyes darkened dangerously. Perhaps he had gone too far this time, but damn it all if he was going to apologize to his counterpart.

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><p>My gaze flicked quickly between the two of them. It would probably be for the best if I snuck away while they were both distracted. There was no way I was going to get caught in between these bastards and their stupid fight. I didn't belong to either of these bastards and if I'd been thinking coherently, they'd have never gotten away with all those stupid kisses. Dammit, I think I was going to die of embarrassment. I had even kissed España back. What the hell had I been thinking?<p>

With this in mind, I decided it was high time to use their distraction to my advantage and make my grand escape. This fucking-epic-grand escape involved slowly backing off the foot of the bed and hoping that those morons were too focused on each other to notice me slip away. Fucking genius, I know. I snatched my shirt up from off the floor (How the fuck did it get there?) and held tightly to it as I edged out of the room.

"You have no grounds to speak," I heard España growl as I rounded the corner and started tiptoeing down the hallway. If all went well, they'd not notice I was gone until I was already down the stairs.

"At least I'm better than you are for him." Spain hissed back. I had to remind myself that I had almost escaped, so I needed to resist the urge to go back and tell those dumbasses that they were the same fucking person, it wasn't possible for one to be better than the other and that they were both equally assholes.

"That is a lie. You are fooling yourself if you honestly believe that you could ever be better for him than me. Or even Antonio. For that matter, just about anyone else in this world would be better for him."

There was a long silence and I paused, mid-step, on the stairs and listened. The sound of what was most likely a fist colliding with what was probably a jaw followed the silence. Not long after another strike was heard. Then what was most likely the crash of furniture. I swear to God if those fuckers broke anything, and I mean anything, in my room (I don't care if Antonio technically owned the room, it was mine, dammit), I was going to beat the shit out of them, burn everything of theirs (which would include España's war axe) and then kick them out of their house. Once I got home, I would set that shitty-ass Ibiza on fire too.

It was bad enough that they had to screw with my mind again and make me start thinking weird shit, now they had to start breaking things. Them and their distracting kisses and all that other messed up bullshit, that made me forget I wasn't supposed to like them like this. Dammit, why did I return that kiss?

The noise coming from what was probably the mess that was once my room escalated and I started to worry that only one would emerge from this fight still breathing, and since I didn't want to bear witness to that, I decided to continue on my trek downstairs and perhaps find Antonio. Maybe being around Antonio would help me forget these ridiculous thoughts; after all, he was the most normal one of the three so it wasn't like he was going to do something weird that made me think of those tomato bastards in such a twisted manner.

First things first, I had to actually find the clueless bastard.

"Antonio?" I poked my head into the kitchen, fully expecting him to be there like he always was, but found it disturbingly empty. There weren't even dishes in the sink. Just Antonio-free space. I wandered through the kitchen towards the window over the sink to see if I could spot him out in the tomato fields. I didn't seem him, but it was a ginormous field, so it was still possible for him to be there somewhere. I undid the latch and pried the window open, making a horrible squeaking sound and letting in cool morning air. "Antonio?" I yelled out, good thing Antonio didn't have neighbors or we would be receiving calls about noise disturbance this early in the morning.

There still wasn't a reply. I shut the window again, despite how nice the breeze felt, and latched it; wouldn't want any wayward perverts like Hungary climbing in. I deserted the kitchen and tried to track down that annoying bastard. He wasn't in the living room or the dining room. He certainly wasn't upstairs, but bearing in mind that this was a huge ass house, there was still a lot of ground to cover. More than half the house was out of use now and had been for decades so it was likely that Antonio was somewhere in there.

Antonio had a library, but the chances that he was actually in there were slim to none. I think the bastard had only ever stepped foot in that place twice and if he had, it was to find me when I was his colony, not that I had ever been in there all that often. It wasn't my first choice at a hiding place just because it was so fucking hard to find, though it probably should have been for that same reason. Regardless of the likelihood of Antonio being in the library, I should probably still check. Besides, his study was near there so I could always check there afterwards. Maybe Antonio was just doing some work for his boss.

I peeked into the small ballroom as I passed it on my winding journey through this massive godforsaken manor. I'm not sure why the fuck he needed it since he almost never danced anymore, at least not to my awareness. It had been what felt like decades since I'd seen him dance…it was a little weird to think about. Regardless, I decided I would concentrate on the pointlessness of Antonio owning a ballroom at a later date because when I looked at the wide room and into its mirrored walls there was still no Antonio to be seen.

I finally made it to the library, after a few wrong turns that led me in a circle past the ballroom again, and once more I called out Antonio's name. I was just about the leave, the door almost shut behind me, blocking out the musty smell of old books, when a quiet voice responded. "I'm over here, Lovi." I pushed the door back open and stepped into the room, my bare feet welcoming the feel of a soft rug instead of hardwood flooring.

I walked further into the room searching the corners and armchairs for the dopey eyed Spaniard. "What are you doing in here, Antonio?" I asked hoping that hearing his voice would help me locate him.

"I like to come here when I need to think," He mumbled, his voice coming from behind one of the bookcases. I edged my way around the stacks of books and then finally behind the bookcase. Antonio was curled up in an armchair, knees to his chest, and his eyes downcast. The reading lamp next to him was turned on but I think the book lying open on the arm of the chair was what surprised me the most.

"I didn't think you knew where the fuck this room was, Tonio." I said as I sank down into the armchair beside him, scooping up the book before he could respond. "I've never really seen you in here and I know you don't really like to read." I grumbled looking at the cover, maybe it would be a picture book. That would make more sense. There wasn't a title or any indication of what it was on the front.

The leather bound book was snatched from my hands before I could crack it open and search the pages for clues. "It's not that I don't like to read, Lovi. I just have more important things to do than read when you're around."

"Oh, like what?" I grumbled, suspiciously eyeing the little book and the way Antonio clasped it to his chest like a newborn.

"Pay attention to you, mi Lovinito." He answered, staring down at the yellowed pages of his book as he blushed all the way up to his ears. "Especially now that you are no longer my colony I don't get to spend as much time with you as I'd like, so whenever you are around I try to give you all the attention you deserve."

"So I've been thinking you were an illiterate dumbass for all these centuries because you would rather spend time with me, even when I was ignoring you, than read?"

"Of course, Lovi. You are the most important person in the world to me." He snapped his mouth shut and once again blushed.

"If that's true, why are you reading now? I'm here aren't I?" He drew a finger down the spine of the book, his eyes losing focus and gaining a thoughtful faraway expression.

"I've not been reading, Lovi, not really. This is one of my journals. I have had this one for a few hundred years now. I like to reread my journals sometimes so that I'll remember what the pages said even after the ink fades too much to see or the pages turn to dust. Right now, I was just reading back through some of my older entries. Back when you were still around…" He carefully opened the book revealing page after page filled with inky Spanish. There were even a few sketches here and there. Sometimes ink splotches would dot the pages and obscure a word or two. At some places the words had already faded away and I had a feeling that this was one of the journals that was going to turn to dust soon. "I think I will miss this one the most when it's gone." He whispered, his fingers tracing the faded outline of small figure.

"Stop with the Nostalgia, Antonio. You're freaking me out." I pulled the journal, gently, from his hand. "Why don't you just type these up onto a computer? That way you won't have to memorize these dusty books."

"Because I know if they were on a computer I would not be compelled to read them and I want to remember these things, Lovi. They're important. Don't you keep track of you past?"

"Not really," I murmured looking down at the pages, ignoring the words after my first few failed attempt at translating and turning my attention to the pictures. "There's not a whole lot I would like to remember. Besides, that's what scars are for, as you should know."

"I do not like the memories my scars hold, Lovi. If they would disappear like the pages in these books, it would not be a loss to me." I turned back to him, setting the book down on the side table. "These scars only remind me of the bad times in my life, I want to remember the good times." He looked down at the back of his hands, mapping out the silvery lines of various scars earned in war. They were hard to spot if one wasn't looking for them. "And I know you do not like my scars, they bring back bad memories for you too, don't they?"

I grabbed his hand and pulled it under the light so I could see those faint scars better before I started to trace them. "Not really. I mean, yeah, I can clearly remember when you go them and what they looked like after you'd come home from those long journeys, well, what Spain and España looked like. The whole three person thing is confusing. Look, forget what I just said." I growled as I watched his growing bewilderment. "What I'm trying to say is that even though they used to bother me when I was young, that was only because I was always worried you would overreach yourself and fade just like Grandpa Rome. You've mellowed out a lot since then, and now all these scars remind me of is that you are still here, I didn't lose – you didn't fade. You're perfectly safe now." I fiddled with his hands before realizing what I was doing and abruptly dropping them. "Everything is fine now."

"I guess…All they remind me of is how scared you looked back then. I don't like seeing you like that, Lovi. I like reading these pages and remembering the good times we had back then."

"You talk like I'm gone, bastard. I'm still right fucking here. I'm not leaving, so stop moping. We still have plenty of time to make new memories you dumbass. We're nations; we have centuries, possibly even millennia, so stop worrying."

"I'll try, Lovi," He quirked one side of his mouth up at me and held the half smile for a few seconds before a frown settled back in. "Hey, Lovi, I have a question for you."

"Speaking of questions, you still never answered my question. If you always want to bother me while I'm here instead of reading your silly books, then why are you reading now?"

He once again did his impression of a tomato and started to twiddle his thumbs and avoid my eyes. "Well, that's because you were busy with Spain and España. Your feelings for them are different then they are for me…I do not belong around the three of you, Lovi. I would just be in the way."

"That's not true you dumbfuck. I don't like any of you better than the other. It's those two who are the ones making all the advances."

"Yo-you don't?" It looked like a smile was threatening to make an appearance. "You don't like them better than me."

"Of course not, dumbass! What the fuck gave you that idea?"

"Well, you three are always together and they're always hugging and kissing you so I just thought – "

"That's your problem, Antonio. Your brain is not used to thinking so it drew the wrong conclusion. For fuck's sake, if you started acting like that towards me, they'd probably think the same damn thing."

"What thing, Lovi?" He asked staring just a little too intently at me.

"That I like you better than them."

"Do you, Lovi?!"

"What part of I don't like any of you better than the other did you not get? Besides, it's not like I actually like any of you creepy bastards."

He finally smiled, rose up from his armchair, then dropped down into a kneel in front of my chair and gathered my hands in his. "That's not true, Lovi. You do like me. I knew it! Well, I didn't know for sure, but I had hoped you would, so I'm not sure why I was so worried." He brought my hand to his cheek and sort of nuzzled my palm. "I'm so happy you like me, Lovi!"

"You're my friend dumbass, of course I like you." Antonio's hands tightened and he stopped with the over the top gushing. "Now what was the question you wanted to ask?"

"Ah…nothing, Lovi."

"It wasn't _nothing_; you said you had something to ask me, so ask."

"I forgot what it was, Lovi."

"Then how do you now it's nothing if you forgot, dumbass? Come on, ask me. I would say there are no dumb questions, but I'm sure you'd prove me wrong on that, so just spit it out."

"It's really nothing, Lovi. It's not important anymore."

"So it was important like, two minutes ago, but now it's not? What the fuck did I say to change your mind?"

"It's nothing, mi Lovinito. Just forget about it, now do you want to look through this journal with me since Spain and España aren't around?" He picked up the book and hastily flipped through it. "Look, here's the time you broke the vase in the entryway. Oh! And here is the time you – ." I placed my hands on his, forcing the book shut before I carefully took it from him and set it on the side table again.

"Dammit to hell, Antonio. Just ask the question already!"

"Do you love Spain and España!?"

"Where in the fuck did that come from? No, I don't love those bastards…at least, I don't think so. I'm not…I don't – fuck you! That's none of your business! So what if I did, dammit. What would it matter? Would that change anything?"

"I just want to know, Lovi. They love you and I…I love you." He took my hands in his again.

"I think you're confused, Antonio. I don't think you love me the same way that they do, assuming they actually love me like that." I muttered the last bit.

"But, Lovi –"

"Look, I don't see why you care whether I love them that way or not since nothing is going to happen. You don't love me like that, so I'm not going to let the bastards do anything that will jeopardize mine and the original-Antonio's friendship."

"I don't understand." He muttered, cocking his head to one side.

"I'm your friend, right?"

"Of course, Lovi."

"And I was the original-Antonio's friend, nothing more. I don't know what part of him Spain or España came from, but he never held the feelings they do towards me. He was more like you. If-_When_ we get the three of you back into one person I don't want him to be conflicted about how I feel since I'm sure he won't feel the same way, if he even remembers that is. Which brings up another problem! Say that I do love Spain and/or España. Say that I told them that. I don't want to be heartbroken when he doesn't remember…or when he doesn't feel the same way because you're a part of him and all you feel is friendship–which is alright, Tonio. I'm actually happy you're not getting involved in all this weirdness. I just," I looked down at Antonio, "I confused you again, didn't I." He didn't respond, but he did let go of my hands. "Just forget about it. I'm just rambling –" His arms wrapped around me and pulled me off the chair, and held me.

"I'm sorry, Lovi."

"Not your fault, bastard." I mumbled, letting my arms encompass his shoulders as I buried my face in his hair.

"You never really answered _my _question, Lovi." I'd punch him if I wasn't so comfortable, smug-sounding-bastard.

"And I'm not fucking going to. Doesn't matter."

"But what if it did?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, well, what if I loved you?"

"We've already established that you do, dumbass."

"No, I mean what if I loved you in the same way they did?"

"But you don't, so why are we talking about all this hypothetical bullshit."

"But what would it mean to you if I did love you in the same way Spain and España do?"

I stared blankly at him. What would it mean? It's not like I would accept any of those bastard's feelings if they did. I wasn't ready for that, but I'll admit I might feel more open to the…idea. It would make things less complicated when the tomato-bastards where one person again, but – no. It wasn't like that, so there was no point in thinking about it. Antonio didn't feel that way, and he couldn't force himself to feel that way – not that I wanted him to. I was fucking overjoyed that he wasn't. It's not like I lov-liked him that way either.

"It wouldn't mean anything, Antonio. Can we just drop this?"

Antonio pouted at me. "Fine, but only if you call me Tonio again."

"When in the fuck did I call you Tonio?"

"You've called me that at least twice today," He grinned stupidly at me. "It made me very happy, Lovi." He started nuzzling along my chin. "Ah, mi cute little tomate."

"I'm not calling you some stupid petname, bastard. Now let me up. I have to go make sure those bastards didn't tear up my room. I suppose I should also check to make sure they didn't kill each other."

"What? Did something happen to them, Lovi?"

"Those dumbshits just got into another one of their fucking pointless fights."

"Ah, where you acting cute again?"

"I don't fucking know?! Why would it matter if I was?"

"They always fight over you when you are being particularly cute." He grinned, squeezing me tight and ignoring my command to let go. "I'm not sure how they determine when you are being cuter than any other time though. I think you're always super adorable, mi tomate."

"I don't think cute would be a word Spain would use," I grumbled, thinking back on all those positively filthy things he'd been lisping in my ear not too long ago. "If you call me super adorable again, bastard, I'm going to kill you with a spoon."

"Okay, Lovi, okay" He snickered, resting his chin on my sternum. He seemed to do that a lot when hugging me like this. Weird bastard. I rolled my eyes but let my fingers card through his hair regardless, mindlessly ruffling it in and out of place. He made a happy humming sound as I continued to play with his hair. "This is nice, Lovi, but didn't you want to go check on the others?"

"You'd have to let go of me first," I growled, letting go of his hair so I could push at his shoulders. He chuckled, nuzzled at my sternum once, and then pulled away, releasing me from his hold. "Thank you."

"Let's go, Lovi!" He quickly got to his feet, grabbed my hands and yanked me up. "Do you think they're alright?" He asked, intertwining out fingers, as he pulled me from the room, leaving his journal to sit on the side table.

"I'm sure those bastards are fine," I groused. "Now let go of my hand." He just shook his head and pulled me along. "Well I don't hear any fighting," I muttered as I was led down the hallways back towards the main part of the house. It was no wonder I didn't come to this section of the house all that often since it took for freaking ever just to walk from one side of the house to the other. "I'm not sure if that should worry me or not."

"It is awful quiet…Do you want me to go up, Lovi?" He asked. We were not too far from the stairs now and I'll admit I was a little concerned that I couldn't hear them fighting anymore. "You can stay here and I'll go – "

"Romano."

We both looked up the stairs to see España standing at the top. Shit, where was Spain? Did that bastard really kill him? Oh fuck, he actually did it! Spain's dead body was probably bleeding out all over my floor even as I stood at the base of the stairs looking up at his killer. We would no doubt have to bury him in the backyard with the tomatoes, and try as we might we would never be able to clean up the stain off the floor. He – "Roma?"

He was standing right behind España.

"Get out of the way, asshole." The pirate growled, shoving past España to get to the stairs. He continued to snarl curses at the conquistador as he made his way down the stairs; the further he stepped into view, the more bruises and cuts I could see on his skin. España followed after him, answering the other with a few choice words of his own (And he lectures me on _my_ language). España too was riddled with various scratches, even had a bloody nose if I wasn't mistake.

I couldn't really tell who had the worst of it. Spain had the beginnings of a black eye that I was sure would turn a glorious purple and yellow splotch by the end of the day. His lower lip was split and the state of his shirt made it look as if someone had been trying to claw out his heart. Besides his bloody and now swollen nose, España was sporting a rather impressive gash along his cheek and parts of his shirt, as well as his skin, had been slashed through; Spain must have had a knife on him.

Dumbasses.

"Well at least you bastards didn't kill each other." I griped, already analyzing their various wounds and what I'd have to do to get them to stop dripping blood everywhere. "Get your asses in the kitchen, try not to track your blood everywhere, and sit your asses down. So help me, if you two start another fight, I don't care what retarded reasoning you use to justify your idiocy, I'm going to shove you both outside and leave you to bleed to death out there.

"Roma, I don't think our wounds are that serious –"

"Don't you fucking question me, pirate-bastard. Just do what I told you to do and keep your stupid trap shut." He wisely did as told and shambled toward the kitchen, España looked as if he was going to object but one murderous glare from me sent him on his way. "Antonio, could you go get me the first aid kit from the cabinet in your bathroom?"

"Sure thing, Lovi. Be back in a sec." He finally released my hand and trampled up the stairs, making an unnecessary amout of noise.

So, to make a long story short, once Antonio finally returned (after searching all the upstairs bathrooms and getting lost), I started tending to the tomato-bastards' injuries – Not because I care about those bastards or anything preposterous like that, but I didn't want them to bleed out any more than they already had, and then have to clean it up…not that I necessarily would have, I'd have probably made Antonio do that, but I digress.

After fixing up most of Spain's cuts, nothing I could do about that black eye, I ended up standing between España's legs as I none too gently grabbed his face and forced his head back so I could properly see the cut on his face. Cotton swabs, alcohol, and a plaster sat on the table beside us waiting. I may have been acting as nurse for these assholes, but there was no way I was going to be nice about it, especially since they didn't even deserve this much.

"Dammit, this is giving me flashbacks," I muttered as I clean out the gash and poured alcohol, perhaps a bit too harshly, into the open wound. To his credit, he only uttered out half a curse which had then turned to a quiet hiss. Spain had been much more of a baby about it, though that might have been because I'd refused to straddle his lap while I'd fixed up his cuts.

"Be more careful, amorcito." His voice was sort of muffled as he had a cloth pressed to his nose to control the bleeding. I quieted his protests with another glare before slapping on the plaster and turning my attention to his nose. I took a firm grip on his hair and craned his neck back once more, and pulled his hand away so I could assess the damage.

"Yeah, fat chance of that, asshole. Just be happy you don't need stiches." I'd had to before, but it wasn't something I'd wanted to do again anytime soon or ever. "Next time you two want to get into a fight, I suggest you either kill the other or not cause so much damage. I'm not helping next time. Can't believe I'm helping this time." I tried cleaning up the bloody mess, but he was still bleeding pretty substantially. "Congratulations, Spain. You broke his nose." Spain's snicker was met with a kick to the shin from yours truly.

"You're lucky I've had to do this before, España." Oh the things you pick you when your caretaker comes home from the New World bleeding to death and making a general mess of everything. I had to move in closer, something which earned a complaint from Spain, and set my hands on either side of his face and let my thumbs gently touch the bridge of his nose. "Ready?" I forced his nose back in place before he could reply. This time he let a few more swears tumble free. "You're welcome," I deadpanned as he tried to push me away and protectively cover his nose. "Wimp." I added as he continued to guard his face and give me a betrayed glare.

"You two do know this wouldn't have happened had you just gotten over yourselves and done as Portugal suggested. If you three were one person again, you wouldn't have to fight over something so trivial."

"Maybe I don't want to be one person again?" Spain hissed, glaring first at me and then at the others. His eyes lingered the longest on Antonio, what looked like hatred settling in his eyes.

"What do you mean you don't want to be one person?" I snarled. There was no way in hell I was getting stuck with these three for the rest of my life. Not that it would be too bad, but – no, not happening, they had to turn back to normal. "What exactly is your problem with going back to being a single individual?" I could feel España shift nervously, pushing his chair back from me but I kept my focus locked on Spain for now.

"Why would I want to go back? Back to denying my–our feelings for you? Back to being a complete moron?" He rose to his feet. "Back to keeping my distance when all I wanted to do was take you in my arms and tell you just how much I love you?" He backed me up into the table. "I will not go back to that, Roma." He gripped the edge of the table to either side of me, pinning me in. "I will not become a part of those two, not again." He leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together and brushing his nose along the length of mine. "I will not risk it. I'm not letting you go, mi amado."

"I-What? Where the fuck would I be going?" He rolled his eyes as if I'd said something Antonio-stupid. "What?!"

"I know if I'm forced to join back with that spineless coward," He waved in Antonio's general direction ", then he will stop me from being with you. Just like before."

"Do you feel the same way, bastard?" I growled at España, who had gotten up from his seat as well and had drifted over to look out the window.

He nodded. "I do not want to be one person again. I do not want to join with someone so useless, nor do I wish to be a part of someone so immoral." He added, glaring at Spain, no doubt wanting to rip the pirate away from me and start yet another fight.

"What's your opinion on all this, Antonio?" I grumbled, unsuccessfully shoving Spain off of me. If anything, he only pressed more insistently to me, his arms looping around my waist.

"I don't know." He looked at the two. "I know that they are only protecting you, but I do not wish to be a part of someone so violent…I do have memories of being that way and I always hated myself for it. Or maybe that's what the original felt like. I'm not sure."

"I will not share you, mi cariño." Spain purred, nuzzling into my hair. I just fucking knew he was going to try and pull my curl again. First chance that bastard got, he was going to take advantage of that weakness.

"You do realize if you were one person you wouldn't have to share, right? – Not that you can have me anyways, bastard!" I tried once again to shove him away, this time with more success. His arms were still around my hips, and he still had me pinned, but his face was nowhere near as close to mine as it had been.

"You did not seem to mind sharing all that long ago." España jeered. "For a while, you actually seemed fine sharing him with me." I blushed down to my neck, trying to sputter out denials at the sight of Antonio's questioning gaze. España ignored my protests and invaded Spain's space, getting in close and personal with us. España somehow got in between me and the table, his arms around my shoulders and his lips at my ear.

"What happened to you never sharing him with, what was it you called me? Oh, sí, I remember now. Scum." His words dripped with venom as he glowered at España. Spain then used the hold on my hips to tug me closer to him.

"I'll admit I do not have as much against you as I once did. Also, I have seen it is impossible to not share Romano with you since he seems to have feelings for both of us. But do not start getting the idea that just because I'm willing to share him means I wish to join back with you, Spain." He smirked and pulled me back to him.

"What made you change your mind, España?" Spain asked, drawing me back once more.

"What does it matter?" It didn't take long for España to drag me back to him, pressing me close, his arms constricting.

"How about you let me decide whether I want to be shared, bastards?" I snarled. "Now stop using me to play tug-of-war before you rip my fucking arms off." I ducked out from under their arms and put distance between us, placing myself closer to Antonio, who had been getting paler and paler as Spain and España's argument escalated. "What's wrong with you, bastard?"

"Nothing, Lovi. I'm just – uh, thinking about…stuff." I rolled my eyes.

"Riiight. Well, don't hurt yourself. I'm going to leave you morons to sort things out, try not to kill each other. I'm going to go for a drive into town."

"And what are you going to be doing in town, Roma?" Spain questioned, abandoning his glaring contest with España and once more invading my space.

"None of your damn business, that's what." I retorted, backing away from him. "I'll be back later. Now, let me reiterate: Dp not to kill each other."

"I don't think you should go by yourself, Romano." España tried to reason, moving in on me as well.

"Well I'm not going to sit around waiting for you bastards to fight over which one of you gets to go with me, so I'm going by myself." I declared, shoving past them as I strode to the door. "If I'm not back in a few hours you have my permission to go psycho and come looking for me. Antonio, call my cell phone first. I'd like a warning before the axe-happy conquistador shows up and kills whoever happens to be in the way."

"Oh, okay, Lovi." He waved after me. "Be safe, mi tomate." I responded with a non-committal noise. "Don't drive too fast!" Yep, not listening to that warning. I raced to the garage, trying to get away before they could catch up and one of them (probably España) insisted on coming with me. Perhaps a long, but fast, drive into town would help get my mind off of things.

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><p><strong>AN: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've already started writing the next chapter and will probably continue writing it late into the night since I'm currently on a roll. To those of you who requested Belgium, I hope you will be happy with the next chapter. For those of you who requested Canada, he should be appearing a few chapters from now. Until then, thanks for your continue support. I really do love and appreciate you all.**

**PS. I'll get around to fixing the Portuguese in the previous chapter as soon as I have time.**


	24. Ch 23: A Belgian Visitor

**A/N:**

**As you can see, I'm not dead. Sorry this took so long, but seeing as this is probably the longest chapter to date, I think you can forgive me. Thanks for sticking with this story, I love you guys. A special thanks to my reviewers: Just me, darkhuntress13, FieryEnblem, fan girl 666, Bookslover21, emmie333, I-am-the-Wolf, Kai, Lovi's Tomato Lover, MYAWESOMESELF111, BlueStar1937, TwingtwangGoesTheUkulele, Teh Awesome Anon, Consuming Endless Nightmare, RusCan 4Eva, Jillion Tealleaf, Alice D. Lovett, thatshyanon, aaron, SpooNeko, BAYBAY841, lunynha, Tiili97, Scarlet daydreamer, MZS6 Animarine, Angel of the Axis, PassionSmile, doiteain, Goddess-of-Genius, Mighty Agamemnon, 13LettersLong, KitsuneMagic48, scarletnight72, Lorana Vargas, ChidorixCixBritannia, Sesi Braginskaya, BlackWolf2013, NatD-LE, Luciangrl, The Puzzler of Riddles. I do not believe I've had time to reply to all of you, but I will when I get the chance.**

**I hope you like this chapter, it was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be, but I'm sort of proud with the end results.**

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><p>Antonio stayed where he was leaning against the kitchen counter for a few moments, zoning out as he looked at the place where Lovino had disappeared from sight. He didn't shake himself from his daze until he could hear the engine of the sports car rumble to life. He turned his gaze towards the window as the car pealed out of the driveway, almost a red blur as Lovi sped away. He continued to look until once more Lovino disappeared from sight.<p>

"So what happened?" He finally asked, turning on his counterparts. España shifted in place, avoiding his gaze. Spain just smirked at him before casually throwing himself into one of the dining chairs. "You had to have been fighting for some reason, so what was it?" Antonio crossed his arms and, not quite glared at the others, but his expression was less than pleasant.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Antonio," España finally answered, stepping away from the table and walking towards the entryway. Spain just leaned back on two legs of his chair, an amused grin plastered on his face, apparently more than happy to let España blunder through an explanation.

"You were arguing about sharing. Why?" If he hadn't sounded so genuinely confused, one would have thought this was an interrogation. España let out a frustrated huff.

"I said it was nothing, Antonio. You do not care for our Romano in that way, so as I said, it does not concern you."

"Care for him how? I love, Lovi."

"You love him, but you do not want him. Not the same way" España clarified. "I'm going back to the living room to wait for Romano."

"You know he won't be back for quite some time, right?" Antonio grumbled. España waved him off and left the room anyways. When Antonio could no longer hear the conquistador's footsteps, he turned to Spain for answers. "What were you arguing about?"

Spain finally let his chair back on all four legs before standing up in one quick smooth motion. "España kissed Romano."

"So? He's done that before."

"Roma kissed back." Spain still sounded bitter about it. He quickly stood up and exited the room as well, leaving Antonio alone to wonder why his heart was twisting so painfully at the knowledge. After all, he didn't love Lovi that way…not in the slightest. He wasn't supposed to. So with this in mind, there was no reason to get jealous or feel this ripping pain in his chest. He couldn't love Lovino that way. He loved Lovino as a friend, as a brother. Even Lovi said he couldn't love him that way, and Lovi had to be right. He would know. Right?

Why was this so confusing?! He just wanted everything to go back to the way it was. Taking innocent siestas with his Lovi and never having to worry about why he wanted to plant kisses on the younger man's lips. Back to the way everything was before he was split into three people. It wasn't like he was conflicted back when he was one person. At least, he doesn't remember being conflicted. Then again, he doesn't remember feeling as he did now…He doesn't really remember what it was like being one person. Just memories of what had happened in the original's life. He remembers how he felt at those times, but it's… limited; like he doesn't remember all of it.

Maybe he had been conflicted about all of this before England cast that spell. He just never had the opportunity to argue it out with himself until now. So if that was true, did that mean he's always loved Lovi? No, not loved Lovi, been in love with Lovi. He tries to picture Lovino and is surprised the first thing that pops into his head isn't the scowl he sees on a daily basis, but a shy smile on a blushing face that makes the gold flecks in his eyes pop. He's even more surprised how this too makes his heart twist, but in a pleasant way.

Maybe this is what love felt like. He pressed his hand to his chest as if he could pull the feeling free and examine it, see if this emotion was really what it paraded itself to be, but all he felt was the pounding of his own heart. His heart wrenched as he remembered his talk with Lovino in the library; his heart regaining its normal pace as the happy flutter was quickly put out like a candle in a windstorm.

Lovi did not love him that way. He said he was happy that Antonio did not chase after him as the other two did. Even if that did mean he was risking heartbreak when the three became one person again. He was a fool to think that he was in love with Lovino, to think that Lovino could love him back. This was not love. This was a broken thing, much too painful to be that wonderful feeling that poets devoted their entire lives writing endless sonnets about. Love should not hurt like this. This feeling had to be something else.

He was just afraid that if Lovino loved the other personifications that he would lose the little Italian. Yeah, that was all. It was understandable seeing as Lovi had been taken from him all those centuries ago. He was just afraid. Nothing more than that.

Antonio removed himself from the kitchen. Maybe he'd go mope in his room, perhaps clean up the mess the other two were sure to have left in the aftermath of their fight over Lovino. Better yet, he should go to his room and catch up on the sleep he had missed last night since he didn't actually sleep at all the night before. He had been too busy last night, hiding out in the library, coiled up in that same armchair Lovino had found him in not that long ago, reading his journals.

Reading those old journals and travel logs hadn't helped him sort through his feelings. In fact, the more he read them the more he was reminded of his past relationship with Romano as his caretaker. Sure, he'd also noticed just how different Romano had become now that's he was older and sure he kind of gets what España and Spain were telling him about Roma not being the same person he used to be, but no matter how hard he tried, Antonio couldn't get rid of the image of that sour faced, chubby cheeked boy he raised.

If he were to think about it logically, he would immediately see the difference between the boy he was then, and the man he was now, but Antonio was anything but a logic being. He was sure it was because Roma had been taken from him…He never really got the chance to say goodbye. He was just there one day, and gone the next, leaving Antonio, the original, all alone in this giant house with nothing but the ruins of a civil war and guilt from giving him up-giving him away even though he had promised Lovi he would never give him away, never trade him, not for anything in the world.

He had failed.

He pushed open the door to the library, finally noticing where his feet had taken him as his mind was drifting away from him. He slowly walked through the room, passing the numerous bookshelves, hundreds upon thousands of books collected over the centuries, on his way to his favorite spot. Maybe if he picked up where he left of with his journal he could focus on his past when life hadn't been so confusing. Back when all he'd had to worry about was England finally overpowering him or what vase Lovino had most recently broken. He definitely had not had to worry about feeling anything but brotherly affection for the youth back then.

He had finally retaken his seat in the armchair, trying to forget that Lovino had recently occupied the chair beside him. Once he found his place he began to read where he left off:

_**I returned from the New World today. Lovino wasn't waiting for me at the front door as he usually does.**_

Antonio tried to remember that day. He had walked in through the front door, fully expecting a: 'What took you so long, bastard?' or 'the bookshelf fell over on its own. I had nothing to do with it'. He had panicked, worried that Turkey had come while he was gone and taken the little Italian.

_**I hoped he was just busy, but when I called his name, he came running to greet me. My little Lovi had tears in his eyes and he hugged me even as he hit me.**_

He remembered that too. Those fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks. Those tiny fists punching at his arm even as Lovino buried his face in his chest. He had thought the worst had happened while he was gone. He tried to dodge the little fists as he checked Lovino over for injury. He didn't stop searching over that small frame until Lovino was finally able to form a mostly coherent sentence, "I thought you were dead."

_**Lars told him I was not coming back. That I had faded while in the New World. I need to remember to kill Netherlands next time I see him.**__**My Lovi should never be sad.**_

While he did not kill the pothead the next time he caught sight of that asshole, Lars had wisely been avoiding him until he mostly cooled down, he had beat the ever-loving shit out of him and then made him apologize for lying to Lovi like that. Lovi had just shrugged it off and tried to pretend that he wasn't actually worried about the bastard, he was just worried no one would feed him if Antonio was gone.

_**My Lovi should never be sad.**_

Never…but he was sad now, wasn't he? Or at least angry, and even though he was mad at the other two, Antonio knew that it was partially his fault. If he could just make up his mind, maybe Lovi wouldn't be so upset all the time. And maybe Spain wouldn't hate him so much. España certainly couldn't say he didn't love Lovi as much as they did. Couldn't tell him how he did and did not feel.

Well first, he'd have to decide how he felt. How was he supposed to do that? Francis and Gilbert had suggested he kiss Lovi, just to be sure, but he didn't think Lovino would appreciate that. No matter how satisfying he knew the look of jealousy on Spain's face would be or better yet the feel of those soft lips pressing hesitantly against his.

He quickly shook his head. He should really stop thinking about this. His Lovi was not interested. Plus there was no guarantee Lovi would kiss back. In fact, it was guaranteed he wouldn't. He should stop thinking and focus on reading instead.

_**My Lovi should never be sad.**_

He really had looked sad this morning though. He'd had tears in those beautiful eyes. Maybe they had been angry tears, but they had been tears all the same. Besides, Lovi had looked so heartbroken that Antonio seriously doubted they were angry tears. He doubts Lovino was even aware of those tears since they never fell, but as Lovino told him of his fears in that library, told him of his worries of what would happen between them when the three were finally put back together; Antonio had never felt his heart stutter so painfully as it had right then as he held the Italian's hands and stared up at him. He wasn't even aware of puling Lovi into his arms until the other's arms wrapped around his shoulders and his face buried into his hair. Lovi had been trembling and Antonio had never felt as helpless as he did right then when all he could do was hold on tightly and hope Lovi would feel better soon.

_**My Lovi should never be sad.**_

He set the journal aside. He was just reading the same sentence over and over again. His eyes were unfocused, unable to track the words any longer. It wasn't helping anyways. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about the way Lovi made him feel. He had to stop thinking about it. It hurt and he knew he couldn't make a decision one way or the other without hurting or angering someone, so it was better to just not think about it until he absolutely had to.

He pushed himself up out of the armchair and headed towards the bookshelf that held his journals. He slid the yellowed paged book back in its place and took a brief moment to look over the spines of the dozens of leather bound journals sitting on the shelf. No matter how much he wrote or how many journals he filled up, there never seemed to be more than this single bookshelf. The oldest one would be unreadable or completely destroyed by the time he finished his newest journal. The journal he just put back away was only three journals away from being the oldest.

Maybe he _should_ finish reading it and then reread the older ones; this might be his last opportunity. Then on second thought, he knew he couldn't read another page without sending his thought back into turmoil. He had to find something better to do. Something he knew would take his mind off of this problem with Lovino.

With a plan already in mind, he shut the door to the library behind him and locked it.

* * *

><p>I may or may not have eaten up the first hour and a half of my time out by taking the unnecessary long back roads. Those back roads and then some more back roads out in the middle of nowhere before heading back on even more obscure roads into town (Dammit, maybe I've been spending more time with Spain, even before this whole fiasco, than I thought if I could drive this far and not get lost).<p>

I also may or may not have been drifting around the turns, but who could blame me? I hadn't seen my Ferrari in what felt like months and she was just begging to be driven as fast as possible on the winding roads. If I wasn't sure to get weird looks, I would have plastered myself to the hood as soon as I parked and told that beautiful car, in no uncertain terms, that I loved her. But as I said, weird looks.

Instead, after I had parked, I caressed the length of the car, hoping no one would notice, before heading further into town. I decided to avoid Barcelona entirely, despite its relative closeness to Antonio's house and went to one of the "smaller" towns sort of nearby. Okay, it was about a half hour drive without all the unnecessary back roads, but it was worth it. It was a university town, so it wasn't exactly small, but it wasn't a really big university, so college students weren't stumbling into me left and right as I walked down the streets.

I had been to this town quite a few times with the original-Spain. He had dragged me down here to see a medieval art museum back when it had opened, I don't remember the exact date, but I was sure it was a long time ago...or not. All the museums the original-Antonio liked to drag me to start to blend together after a while. We returned a few times more to visit the cathedrals. To be honest, it may have been the only place I hadn't complained about going to. This town always made me feel like I was back at home. Not my home, but the house I used to live in with Feliciano and Grandpa Roma. Back before he sent me away.

I shook my head; best not to think about that right now, not when I was surrounded by so much that reminded me of him and could set me off at any second. As I'm sure I've made clear, I did not want to get any weird looks from the inhabitants of this town, which I would be sure to get were I to keep thinking about it. After all, it's not often that you see a short (but not too short, dammit) Italian man having a mental breakdown in the middle of a somewhat crowded street before bursting into tears and yelling obscenities at a deceased grandfather.

"Damn, good-for-nothing, bastard." I grumbled, as I trudged through the town, my head down, hoping to avoid the weird glances, assuming there were any. This of course meant that I didn't see the clumsy bastard that ran into me before I was already stumbling back, trying to regain my balance. "Hey, watch where you're going you ass – ah, mi dispiace, bella." Shit, I can't believe I'd yelled at this pretty woman when it was clear I had run into her because I wasn't paying attention. Dammit, I should've paid better attention. "Are you alright, signora?" I asked while trying to help her to her feet, her head was bowed as she brushed dirt off the front of her dress.

She giggled. She fucking giggled. I'm pretty sure when someone almost bowls you over on the street, you don't giggle at them when they try to apologize. I'm also pretty sure I recognized that giggle which made this all a hundred times worse. "I am so sorry, Bella. I did not see you there."

"It's fine, I'm fine, Lovino. It was my fault anyways, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, I was too busy looking for someone. Are you okay?"

"Sí, I'm fine, Bella. Who are you looking for?"

"Hmm?" She cocked her head to one side, those green eyes mischievous as she tried to look innocent. "No one, Lovino."

"Then why –"

"Sooo, what are you doing here, Lovino?" She looped her arm through mine and dragged me down the street. Earlier, I might not have minded having a beautiful woman on my arm as I wandered through Vic, but now, I was more preoccupied with what the other nation was hiding from me. "Why are you here in Spain?"

"Just staying with Antonio for a while." I decided to answer truthfully. It's not like there was any other explanation I could give her. She already knew the answer, she was just asking for formality sake. Or maybe to draw attention away from herself.

"Oh, did something happen? If you need a place to stay you know Lars and I would be happy to have you over." For some reason I highly doubted that. Lars and I got along fine, but as much as I complained about Antonio, I didn't want to be around someone who would just spew hatred towards him more than was absolutely necessary.

"It's nothing like that, Bella. Don't worry." I held my ground so she had to stop dragging me, and led her over to one of the market stalls. I was here to pick up something to cook later tonight, and I'd be damned if I let Bella distract me.

"Well, I was just on my way to visit him, so let's go together!" She replied too cheerfully. Bella was a happy person, but she wasn't Antonio level perky. "It's been so long since I've seen him." Her smile turned soft and for some reason my stomach churned.

"Why exactly were you in this town, Bella?" I groused, yanking my arm free so I could pick up and inspect the various fruits and vegetables for sale (I wouldn't need any tomatoes, Antonio still had plenty). "It's a little out of the way if you're going to Antonio's house." I finally made a selection and paid the vendor. I hung my purchase over one arm and Bella once again took that opportunity to latch onto me. Why wasn't I enjoying this? I would have just a few months ago.

"Huh? Oh, I was texting Antonio to let him know I was coming over and he said you went out for a drive, but you were probably headed here so I thought maybe I could just meet up with you and bum a ride to Antonio's house with you. The train doesn't go there after all." Her smile was too happy; it put me off for some reason. There was something too forced about that smile.

"Antonio bribed you to check up on me didn't he?" She pouted. I ignored that pout and started browsing the seafood for sale.

"Okay, fine. I drove down here with Lars, so I don't really need a ride, but don't you think it'll be fun to drive together, Lovino? I know Lars doesn't want to drive me to Antonio's house, he only came this far because I begged him to."

"Fine, just stop pouting. It's pissing me off." I freed my arm again and lengthened my stride forcing her to speed up if she hoped to keep pace. "My car is over here. I needed to leave soon anyways since España gave me only three hours to go gallivanting around town. He's probably worked himself into a frenzy already."

"España?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I've just never heard you call Antonio that before."

I tried to give her a nonchalant shrug, but I'm pretty sure I failed miserably. "So? Hey, there's my car." I threw my groceries (Okay, I gently placed them) in the back before climbing into the front seat. "Do you want a ride or not?" I growled when she just stood outside of the car staring at me with something akin to worry.

I decided to avoid the back roads this time, wanting to get back home as soon as possible so that I was no longer trapped in this car with Bella as she tried to chat about anything and everything she could think of. If she weren't so cute and were it not against everything I believe in, I would have made her get out of the car and walk the rest of the way to Antonio's. However, I am nothing if not a gentlemen when it concerns women, so until the time comes that I am no longer Italian, which will be never, I'm stuck listening to her ramble about how cute she thinks it is Antonio and I are finally getting along. If only she knew that half of it, I wonder if she'd still think it was cute.

I parked the car in the driveway and went to unlock the front door, holding it open for her as we entered. "You even have a key to his house, Romano?"

"I told you I was staying here for a while, why wouldn't I?" I grumbled. "Ehi, bastard! I'm home. And I brought a visitor." I didn't get a response so I figured Spain and España were upstairs cleaning up the mess they had made, they better be. This meant I had to find Antonio before those dumbasses showed up all at once (even though I gave them ample warning).

Hadn't Antonio talked to Belgium on the phone? He told her to check up on me, so he must know she was here.

"Antonio, where are you?" I waved at Bella to follow me deeper into the house. Antonio was probably back in the library, moping over those dusty books. I made a quick trip to the kitchen to drop my groceries off and then headed for the library.

"Wow," Bella barely whispered as she trails behind me, "it's been so long since I've been in this part of the house." She looked around her, her eyes are lingering on some of the closed doors. "It's sort of spooky, isn't it?"

I answered with a shrug. "You get used to it." We continued down the hallways, I was praying I wouldn't get lost yet again. I think Bella might actually remember the twists and turns of this place better than I did, even if I did live here longer. "So, I know you said you came over to visit Antonio, but may I ask why exactly? You've never visited before."

"How do you know I haven't?" She gave me that Cheshire smirk and for some reason that really pissed me off.

"Because the tomato bastard would have told me." I groused. "He tells me everything, whether I want to hear it or not." I turned an inquisitive eye on her, "So why now?"

"Well, he was acting weird at the World Meeting – "

"You mean weirder than normal?"

"Oh hush, you were acting pretty oddly to, Lovino. You never let Antonio hold your hand but you did during the Meeting." I could feel the blush spread up to my ears. "I wanted to check up on Antonio – oh, and you too of course – but I didn't really want to bother you guys or interfere with anything since you two weren't acting too different from normal so I decided to just ask at the next meeting, but then I heard some…things from Prussia and France and they convinced me to come check up on Antonio. They said he needed to sort out some issues and maybe I could help." She smiled too cheerfully at that.

"Those bastards," I growled. Next time I saw them, I was going to castrate them with a spoon and then I'd tell España that France tried to rape me, again, and that Prussia didn't do anything to help me. It would be a miracle if those two managed to crawl away from the resulting carnage. "Look, there is really nothing you need to worry about. Antonio is being weird, it's what he does best, other than being a dumbass, so there is really no reason for you to just show up randomly and check up on us."

"I wasn't really here to see you, Lovino." Those words, added to the pout on her face, felt like a knife to the gut. Bella and I may not be quite as close as she and Antonio, but I had thought we were at the least good friends. She was the only one I had actually been nice to during my colony days. "Oh – but I was going to visit you afterwards, Lovino. I just didn't expect you to be here," She must have seen the disappointed look on my face or something. "France did hint that you might be here though, so I guess I should have known you would be. You and Antonio are pretty much inseparable after all," The grin once again didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Don't insinuate that there is anything going on between that bastard and I," I grumbled turning away so she couldn't see my face turning red. There was definitely something between Antonio and myself, but I _really_ didn't feel like sharing my relationship problems – not that Antonio and I were in a relationship – with the girl I used to have a crush on. "And we are not inseparable. We are very separable! It's just a coincidence that you showed up while I was over."

Her smile seemed real this time. "Of course there wouldn't be anything between you two, Lovino. The thought never crossed my mind. You're just friends after all. Don't be ridiculous, Lovi," The nickname sounded twisted and vile coming from her. ", I just meant that you two are best friends."

I wanted to snarl hateful words at her. Am I not good enough for Antonio? Is that what you mean? Is it so ridiculous for you to believe he might care for me in that way? That he might love me? But all I said in response was a quite agreement. After all, Antonio and I really were just friends. That's all I'd ever be to him. It was preposterous to think otherwise, Bella was right to just write our relationship off like that. Besides, it's not like she said those words spitefully, she was just being honest. Painfully honest.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just check the library for that bastard and then you and him can catch up and whatever it is you think you'll accomplish with this visit, and I can…" I can go curl up alone and pretend it doesn't hurt to see Antonio getting along better with Bella than he ever did with me. "…I can avoid the impending squeals and giggles as you two gossip like the girls you are." She rolled her eyes at me, but fortunately gave no comment on the state of my slumped shoulders or the trembling of my lips.

"I really don't understand why you hate Antonio so much," Bella said, pulling ahead of me, leading the way now that she knew we were headed towards the library. "He's always so nice to you. Nicer than he is to anyone else." Yes, I knew this. I didn't deserve Antonio's friendship or generosity. Like I haven't heard this speech before? I definitely did not need to hear this from her. I still didn't have an answer either. I didn't understand why Antonio was so nice to me when I was so spiteful in return, but I wasn't going to question it. Just be grateful that the Spaniard wanted anything to do with me.

"I don't hate him," I growled, walking faster so she couldn't see the emotions I was sure to be flickering across my face; giving away my feelings for the tomato-bastard.

_**Te voglio bene assai**_**.**

"Now would you please stop analyzing me? You said you were here to analyze Antonio, so leave me out of this."

_**Me tanto ma tanto bene sai**_**.**

"I know you don't hate him, Lovi, I was exaggerating," Again, the nickname sounded wrong rolling from her lips. ", but you _could_ afford to be nicer to him."

"I have been." I've been really nice to him recently. I barely called him bastard anymore. I can't even remember a time when I used his human name this much – For Christ sake, I shared a bed with him. How much nicer could I get without spouting out compliments and declarations of love at him 24/7? Besides, that might be worse since I'm pretty sure Antonio didn't want to hear that from me, nor would it be true, and I know Antonio wouldn't appreciate that…Antonio wouldn't want my love, even if I could give it to him.

"Look, Bella," I can't believe I was about to confide in her. Sure, she had helped me in the past to get over my silly crushes, but I don't think she could help with this hopeless infatuation. I also don't think she'd want to. However, despite our differences, Bella was always there fr me, even though for all my bitchy behavior, she had a right not to be. She _would_ help.

_**È una catena ormai. Che scioglie il sangue dint'e vene sai.**_

"I don't hate Antonio. He and I –"

"Hold that thought, Lovino. Do you hear that?"

"Hear what, dammit?" Here I was about to confess this might be love, might not be for Antonio, and she gets distracted by some random old house creaking –

_**Vide le luci in mezzo al mare. Pensò alle notti là in america**_

…What the fuck was that?

Bella and I exchanged a glance and started heading towards the source of the music, forgetting about the library for now. The music grew louder the further down the hallways we went. Of course it would be coming from the ballroom; it wouldn't make sense to be coming from anywhere else in the house. I should have realized immediately, it was just…it had been so long, centuries even, since I'd heard music coming from those double doors, inviting me inside. What was Antonio doing in there?

Bella and I exchanged yet another glance before I hesitantly pushed on one of the double doors, watching as the crack between the two opened further and let sunlight peek into the dimly, fluorescent lit hallways, shedding light on the deep green rugs and stirring up memories of widely flung doors that let light pour throughout the house and open windows which let the fresh breeze in. These were old memories, old enough that they had a golden haze to them, but they left a pleasant warmth in my chest. Maybe this was why Antonio reread those journals.

I slowly pushed the door the rest of the way open and once I adjusted to the sunlight reflecting off the multiple mirrors, my eyes were still not prepared for the sight in front of them.

I could feel my heart stop at the breathtaking sight before me. I can't believe I forgot just how fucking beautiful it is when Antonio dances; the way he moves with that inhuman grace (technically, he's not human, but even nations didn't move like that) and capture everyone's attention with just the simplest of steps. There's something different about his dancing though. There is less passion and overall charisma and an underlying sadness instead. Perhaps it had something to do with how somber the song was, but it was still abso-fuck-a-lutely gorgeous. How in the fuck does he look so manly when he's spinning around like that. Shit, if he could teach me how to be that graceful it'd be a miracle.

Antonio had tried to teach me to dance once, and I can still remember the feeling of my hand in his. The way his shoulder felt under my palm and how nice it felt to have the warm pressure of his hand on my back, guiding me through the steps I would have been too clumsy to complete on my own. I could perform the Tarantella fine, but there had always been something different, too intimate, about dancing with a partner for me to really connect with or succeed at it. Shit, even then I had been smitten with this bastard. I had just been too adamant against dancing the girl part to focus on the gleam in his eyes as we danced or the warm smile on his lips, so I had stormed from the room and never let him try to teach me again.

I should have though. I really should have. I knew I should have as I watched those graceful feet, those elegant arms, and – oh _God_, those swaying hips. I am sure there was something sinful in the way he rolled and twisted them to the slow beat of the music. And that ass was – dammit! Nope. Nope, these were definitely not my thoughts. These were France thoughts. France was projecting his thoughts into my head. I did not, had not, and would not think about Antonio this way. I was most assuredly not thinking about my lifelong friend in such a –

Did his eyes look even greener than usual? It must be a trick of the light. The same light that was playing through those bouncing curls and making the normally chocolate curls a brilliant copper and gave a golden cast to his tanned, olive skin. Damn. It wasn't fair or right for a man to look that fucking beautiful yet at the same time so unbelievably masculine it hurt my own Italian male pride. Damn this man and his dancing.

"Hey, Antonio!" Shit, I forget she was even here. "Gee, it's been so long since I've seen you dance. Still just as great as ever" Damn you, Bella. Damn you for interrupting. I could have watched for hours, wasting – no, it wouldn't be a waste – spending the rest of the day watching Antonio create art in his own way. But no, Bella had to break the spell and shake me free from my awe. I shook my head, finally surfacing from my daze and once more giving my full attention to Antonio.

Antonio was blushing and offering me a sheepish grin as he listened to Bella sing his praises, giving him compliments I wanted to give but didn't have to right words or courage to express. "Did you like my dancing too, Lovi?" That nickname had never felt so right, not as it did then and it just about sent a thrill up my spine.

Did I like it, Antonio? Were I able to get over my stupid pride, I would be telling you in no uncertain terms, just how much I liked it and were Bella not in the room, it might even get me to admit that I loved you more than I should. However, you don't want to hear that and Bella _is _here so I'm going to have to stick with my aloof, go-to phrases. The same phrases I use whenever I don't have true words for you: 'It was acceptable' or 'It was adequate' or even 'It wasn't horrible." But even those words didn't come, because Antonio deserved better right now, so all I could do was nod and hope he would coo about how tomato like my face was becoming. I wouldn't smack him for it this time. I would just stand there and let him nuzzle against me and pinch my cheeks and tell me how cute I was, even if it wasn't necessarily the affection I craved. I could always get that sort of attention from Spain or España – not that I would. Dammit, what the fuck was I even thinking right now?

But Antonio didn't do any of that, he just let a smile light up his face. That stupid, beautiful smile. It was nearly as heart-stopping as his dance. "Thank you, Lovi."

"A-Tonio," He looked back at me, having turned to listen to Bella's compliments once more. "Would you try to…teach me again?" I whispered, hoping Bella wouldn't hear.

"What? I didn't hear you, Lovi. What did you ask?"

"Would you teac –"

"Oooh, Toni! Do you think you could dance with me sometime?" Bella gushed, metaphorically shoving me out of Antonio's sight and firmly placing herself under his spotlight. She kept digging that knife in deeper and she wasn't even aware of it.

"Wh…maybe. I don't really dance with a partner anymore since Lovi won't dance with me." He gave me a sad but hopeful smile. I would if he asked. Antonio could get me to do just about anything if he just asked and used those puppy eyes of his.

"But dancing with Lovi isn't the same as dancing with a woman, Toni. Come on, it'll be fun. I'm sure Lovi wouldn't mind, would you, Lovi?" She bat her eyelashes at me and my stomach turned. Yes, yes I would mind. I want you to keep your hands off of him. Don't want to watch you dance with him and hang off of him. I'm afraid of just how jealous it would make me, of how deep that knife would dig until it disemboweled me. But this was Bella, she wasn't doing this on purpose, and Antonio should be allowed to dance with a beautiful woman if he wanted to. It wasn't like we were in love, not even in the slightest.

I shrugged, giving her my best smile. "Why would I? Just be careful not to make me jealous though, Bella." I winked. Bella just giggled and swatted at my arm before latching onto Antonio. I tried not to glare at her hand around his arms, hands wandering around the other's bicep just a little too long. I looked up to Antonio even though it would kill me to see the happy-dopey look on his face.

The frown that met my eyes was a surprise. His eyes were sad, the beautiful light quickly dimming until completely extinguished. What happened? Did I say something? He knows I didn't mean the flirting with Bella. He knows, has always known, that my flirting was just a front. He couldn't be jealous right? Not for me? Maybe of me. The knife dug straight through into my spine. Please let him not like Bella.

"I don't really feel like dancing anymore, Bella. I'm sorry." He gently disentangled his arm from hers. "Maybe Lovino will dance with you." The words were sharp and cut deep. Antonio suddenly reminded me of a wounded animal, his fur ruffled, trying to defend himself. The underlying scorn in his voice was unheard of. Antonio had gotten upset with me before but never angry. Not like this.

"Toni?" Bella called after. She looked over at me and I shrugged trying to give her a convincing smile before following him.

"Antonio?" Regardless of the distinct do-not-touch-me vibe Antonio was sending out as he headed towards the doors, I latched onto his arm and pulled him to a halt. I stepped in close enough so only he could hear me whisper, "I'm sorry," Even though I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for.

He jerked free. "Just forget it, Lovi, we're just friends." That's it, I was dead. That knife had dug too deep and was sure to be sticking out my back now. "You should probably go tell the others that you're flirting with Bella though. They'll be jealous." He stepped outside, the door swinging shut behind him.

I quickly stopped it, threw a quick apology over my shoulder to Bella, "Just wait here for a bit, please," and darted after Antonio.

"Antonio, wait!" I practically ran into him, my arms winding around his, pinning them to his side, seeking to capture him so he couldn't run off again. I pressed my forehead to his back. "What's wrong?" The silence was painful. "Look, I'm sorry for flirting with Bella. It's just a habit, it didn't mean anything." Antonio wasn't quite as tense in my arms, but he was still unyielding. Normally he would have turned around, claiming I was trying to hug him – which I wasn't – and then hug me back. "She doesn't mean anything to me, Tonio. You don't have to be jealous…She doesn't like me either if that helps. I'm pretty sure she only has eyes for you." I could feel that I was losing my grip and I buried my face back into his back.

"Why does it matter if Bella likes me, Lovi?" He finally turned to face me, but he didn't embrace me like I sort of-not really-wanted him to.

I peeked up at him, the indifferent, if not mildly confused, face was also painful. "I….I thought you were jealous of…"

"Of what?"

"Of her. Of me. I don't know. You're so…" I shoved away from him, grumbling under my breath. "Whatever, just go back and dance with Belgium or something." It was his turn to snatch my wrist.

"Wait, Lovi. Why would I be jealous of you?"

"Well, we're friends. You only see me as your friend, so I know you couldn't have gotten jealous of _my_ flirting."

"Lovi." He pulled me about-face and finally pulled me into his arms. "Bella is just a friend. We're just friends. I'm not jealous of anyone. I just don't feel like dancing."

"That's bullshit if I ever heard it." Antonio and I both jumped at the voice. Spain glared at us from the end of the hallway. He didn't say another word as he stalked towards us. His eyes swept over me, making me feel like prey and that it would be a wise decision for me to run the other way. Spain pulled me away from Antonio. "Go upstairs, I will handle this," He snarled at Antonio. Antonio looked as if he was about to argue, but thought better of it and left, his hand lingering on my hip.

"You both are idiots," Spain grumbled as soon as Antonio was gone.

"Excuse me?" I growled, thinking about stomping out after Antonio and leaving Spain to Bella.

Neither of you can see what is right in front of your faces." He gripped my upper arm. "Come on, Bella will get curious if you are gone for too long."

"How'd you know the guest was Bella?"

"I was eavesdropping on you and that coward." He shrugged. "I was hoping he would finally grow a pair and confess to you, but obviously that's not going to happen."

"Confess what? Antonio and I are just friends. There is nothing to confess."

"See, idiots."

"Yeah, well fuck you!"

"Perhaps later, mi amado. Now, we must find Bella before she starts snooping."

"I didn't mean it that way, asshole," I snarled, rubbing my face as if that would stop the blush from spreading. "What about your hair, dumbass?" Spain reached back to clasp the horsetail at the base of his neck as if he only just remembered it was there. "Go get, España." Spain snarled something unintelligible and before I had a chance to stop him, he had a knife in his hand, drawn from his boot of all places, and the end of his horsetail in the other.

"…What the fuck did you do that for!?" I gasped, fingers already in his hair, grasping the shortened length.

"It is just hair, mi amor. It will grow back." He hadn't been so flippant about this when I offered to cut his hair weeks ago.

"It's still longer than Antonio's'," I grumbled, ", and it's completely fucked up, look at this!" I snarled pulling none too gently on his remaining hair and comparing the lengths. "Dammit, I'm going to have to even this out later," I muttered, still calculating just how much work that would be for me. "You're just lucky it's not too noticeable…dumbass." He leaned into my hands, smiling down at me in that infuriatingly sweet way of his. "You know, it would have been easier to just call España down here."

Spain shrugged, and once more, started pulling me towards the ballroom. Bella opened the door right as Spain reached for the doorknob.

"Oh! I was just about to go look for you two." Her eyes darted down and quickly back up again. What the fuck was she looking – oh, Spain had slipped his fingers through mine and was refusing to let go. "Do you still not want to dance, Toni?" Spain arched a brow at me.

"Not unless Roma would be willing to join me," He leered.

"How about no?" I growled, finally prying my hand free. Bella scowled, but to be honest, I was more concerned with making sure Spain kept his hands to himself to analyze that look.

"In that case, why don't we have lunch?" He slid his arm around my shoulder. "Roma offered to cook earlier and I'm sure that offer still stands. Right, mi Romanito?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," I shrugged free and started on the long trek through the house back to the kitchen. "Are you two coming or not?" Spain smirked and stalked after me, Bella followed with a perplexed look on her face.

* * *

><p>"Spain," I warned, no room for argument in my voice, "keep your hands off of me." This was the third time that Spain had tried to wrap his arms around my waist while I was cooking. "I don't want to burn myself, bastard." He ignored me this time and rested his chin on my shoulder, nuzzling into the bend of my neck, fortunately not leaving any kisses in his wake, but still, he could have at least waited to ambush me once Bella had left. Now she was going to ask some awkward questions and I <em>really<em> didn't want to answer just why Spain was acting so affectionate.

"Roma?"

"What is it, bastard?"

"I thought you liked it when I hold you like this," He squeezed me as if to further emphasize his words. "You did not seem to mind this morning when –" It was then that my spoon wielding prowess came to good use, because I tightened my grip on the handle of the wooden spoon I had been using, turned around and whacked him on the top of his head.

"Sorry, my hand slipped," I sneered, "You should probably go clean up before lunch." I smirked at the trail of tomato soup rolling down his forehead and then down the tip of his nose.

He glared down at me, but left the room as instructed. "Lunch will be finished soon, so don't take too long, _España_." Spain threw some angry grumbles back at me, but I could hear him head up the stairs anyways.

"Dumbass," I murmured, throwing the spoon into the sink and retrieving a new one; wouldn't want his bastard germs to infect my cooking.

"Lovino." I looked over my shoulder at Bella, who was still sitting at the breakfast table and had been since we entered the kitchen. She was watching the doorway Spain had just left through. "Antonio is acting rather…strange," She mumbled, looking up at the ceiling as if he could hear her through the floorboards.

"What can I say? He's a bipolar bastard." I quickly turned back to the stove, hoping she wouldn't notice how that question set me on edge.

"But it's not just him, Lovino. You've been acting weird too." Like hell I was! "Usually you would have pushed him away. You also wouldn't cook for him." Shit, she was going to ask one of those awkward questions now. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Like what?" I grumbled, transferring shrimp into a pan to begin sautéing them and continuing to stir the onions and bell papers in with the tomato soup. I had originally been planning to make gazpacho since Antonio had been whining for it, but I didn't start soon enough so that would have to wait until tomorrow and just deal with regular tomato soup today.

"Well, you two have been acting more like a…well, like a couple."

I slowly turned to just stare at her. "You've been hanging out with Hungary too much." I deadpanned, hoping she couldn't hear the nervous waver in my voice.

She giggled. "You're probably right. You and Antonio as a couple? That'd just be silly, wouldn't it." Usually I would jump on that Romano-is-a-straight-manly-man bandwagon, but I was – am so sick of being told I was not good enough.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I growled.

Her surprise was evident and immediate. "I just meant that you like pretty girls and you can't stand him half the time, Lovi! Plus you two see each other as brothers, right?"

"Ah…of course...Yeah, I guess it is silly." I tried to chuckle but it sounded forced, Bella didn't seem to notice, she just giggled again.

I started moving things over to the table, "To tell you the truth, Lovi, I have had a bit of a crush on Antonio for a while now. I'm kind of glad you two aren't together." I almost dropped the shrimp.

I'm sure anyone in the room would have been able to hear the sound of my brain snapping, This bitch needed to get out of this house. Right now.

"Bella, I think you should le –"

"Romano?" I turned to find España standing in the doorway a hard look in his eyes. I couldn't tell if I was happy that Spain had taken the hint and had España take his place or not. "Is something wrong?" España was much too observant.

"I'm fine," I murmured, trying to stop my shaking and keep myself from glaring death at Bella. "Just, uh – Lunch is ready if you're hungry."

"You changed again." I flinched at Bella's voice. Shit, how did she find out? How much did she know?

"What?" España gave her a confused look.

"Well you had something else on earlier, I just didn't say anything because I figured you just didn't want to wear the clothes you were dancing in, but now you've changed again.

España looked down at the green cotton of his shirt which hugged his chest in all the right way-I really need to stop looking at him; at all of them. "Uh…"

"Tomato sauce! Uh, the shirt must have gotten covered in tomato sauce."

"Right," España shrugged. "May I talk to you for a minute, Romano?" I nodded, quickly shuffling after him as he left the kitchen.

"Bella, you can just go ahead and help yourself, we'll be back soon." She said something in reply, but I was already out of the door. I followed España into the living room. He caged me in his arms once we were there.

"Now, what is bothering you, mi amorcito?"

"It's nothing, I – it was just something Bella said. Don't worry about it."

"What did she say, Romano?" His tone was mildly threatening

"She just, well, she has a bit of a crush on Antonio, and I guess by extension all of you. See it's nothing, it's stupid."

"You do not have to worry about this, Romano."

"Yeah, España and I only have eyes for you, cariño." We both turned to watch Spain saunter into the room.

"We could send her away if you want, Romano."

"No, she's still one of my friends, just…just keep Antonio away." They looked less than pleased and I'm sure they would have something to say to the dopey tomato-bastard later.

"Of course, Roma." The two looked at each other, seeming to be conversing telepathically. "I'll stay here with Roma," Spain state, "You keep Antonio out of trouble. If I have to deal with him I might kill him." I was sure España was going to argue, but he just nodded and started to leave the room releasing me from his arms.

"Hold up. España has to come with me. Bella is not going to buy that you did another quick change, especially not when we're supposed to be having a conversation and definitely not back into the clothes you were wearing before.

They did another one of those weird silent conversations and without another word began to pull their shirts up and over their heads.

"What the actual fuck are you doing?" I hissed, quickly averting my eyes because there was no way those bastards were going to distract me again. There would be no repeats of this morning. Not now. Not ever.

They exchanged shirts and as soon as they had the other's shirt on, moved to unbutton their jeans. "No! That is where I draw the line. Your jeans are practically identical, Bella will not notice. The pants stay on, dammit!" Yet another weird mind talking thing typically associated with twins before they both smirked at me.

"Later then," Spain purred with a conspiratory wink to España who chuckled as he left the room.

'No! No later – Hey, you hear me, bastard?" I yelled after España, ineffectively shaking my fist at him.

"Come on, Roma. We can continue this later," He vowed with a kiss to my cheek, then dragged me back to the kitchen.

"Did you not hear me saying there would be no later?"

"I heard, mi amor. I just did not believe you nor did I care."

"Fuck you."

"Promises, promises."

I smacked him right as we entered the kitchen. Spain snickered as he followed me in and took a seat at the table across from Bella.

"Asshole."

"You always say the nicest things, mi querido." He winked, scooping soup into a bowl and dishing out shrimp onto his plate. Damn, I should have put some kind of fruit out on the table, maybe there was still something in the fridge from dinner last night; that is unless España did one of his midnight raids.

I continued to grumble curses under my breath towards him lest he make yet another horrible sexual pun or open pass at me as I got up and headed towards the fridge. As much as I wanted Bella to back off the tomato-bastard(s), I didn't want her and, by default, the rest of the world (because of course she'd tell her pothead brother about my…relationship, or whatever this was with Spain) to know.

"So, Antonio." It took a while for Spain to realize she was talking to him, but one he did, he was quick to give her his attention and stop molesting me with his eyes. "Why don't we hang out sometime? Maybe we could hit the town." Spain just looked at her with confusion, his brows scrunched; he still hadn't quite grasped modern expressions.

"All of us!" Bella clarified. She must have noticed the hard set to my jaw and the barely there sneer as I headed back to the table with a bowl of peach slices (Fuck if I cared if it went well with what I'd already cooked, there was no fucking way I was going to waste my time preparing something else).

She grabbed my hand and squeezed once, briefly, before letting go and returning to Spain. "It'll be just like old times." I sincerely doubted that since Bella was likely to hang off of Spain the whole time and I really did not feel like being the third wheel, especially not when Spain was min-I mean, my, uh…he was my – oh Nevermind! I just didn't want to go.

"Maybe Lars will want to come to!" I flinched and tried to scoot my chair back as Spain's whole demeanor turned dark. "Wouldn't that be fun?"

"No, Bella, it would not be fun." Spain growled and for a minute, I was worried I'd have to revoke his silverware privileges before he hunted down Lars and used them to kill him (only I was allowed to kill with cutlery).

Bella was smart, so she must have understood the danger her older brother was in. "He doesn't have to be there though! He would probably be too busy anyways." She chuckled shakily.

"Yeah…busy." I tried not to roll my eyes at that. The idea that Lars was ever doing anything useful was, while not impossible, highly unlikely; though that might have just been my experience with the other nation.

"As much as I enjoy the thought of being dragged around to seedy bars with you two," I pushed myself to my feet and gathered my plates, "I'm gonna have to pass." I dropped my dishes in the sink and began to leave. Maybe I could take a late siesta; perhaps España would want to join me. Antonio undoubtedly would since I don't believe he slept last night.

"Oh…if you insist, Lovi," Bella called after. If I insist? She didn't even try to change my mind. "So where would you like to go, Spain." I did not like that tone, it was too intimate.

"Ah, thanks for the invitation, Bella, but I would not feel right going without Roma." I stopped in the hallway to listen; more dishes clinked together in the sink.

"Come on, Antonio, it'll be fun! We don't need Lovi, we can have all sorts of fun. Just the two of us."

Damn that woman to the fiery pits of hell, she had never acted like this towards Spain, so why now? She'd flirted before, but she had never laid it on so thick.

"You are wrong, Bella. Thank you inviting me to hang out, or whatever it is you called it, but I'm not interested at the moment. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go find Roma." I quickly scurried away into the living room so I wouldn't be caught eavesdropping.

It wasn't long until Spain joined me in the room, Bella trailing behind him. "Lovi, could you please explain to Antonio!?"

"Explain what?"

'She is trying to convince me to leave you here." Spain threw Bella a puzzled look. "I thought she wanted to be around both of us."

"She's asking you out on a date, dumbass."

"…Oh." Bella blushed as Spain looked back at her. "Bella, I –"

"Lovino didn't have to put it so bluntly, but yeah, would you want to go out sometime?" Spain looked at me. He had better not be asking for my permission, that asshole.

"Well you see, Bella–"

"We'll have so much fun." She grinned at me. "Lovi won't be jealous; you got over that crush centuries ago, right?"

Of course I had, but that didn't mean I wouldn't be jealous. I shook my head, "I am quite over that silly crush, Bella."

"Great! So, Toni, would you like to go out to eat? We could catch a movie."

"Bella, Roma and I–"

"We could go to the beach if you want," Bella wound her arms around him and pressed herself almost obscenely against the Pirate. "What sounds good to you?"

"Uh…" He looked over at me, panic in his eyes. Were this a different situation, I would have teased the pirate mercilessly for being so terrified of a tiny little woman like Bella (I had a valid excuse for being scared of Hungary).

"Or we could just go back to my place." She whispered.

I'm not sure who was more surprised, Spain or myself, when I stomped up to the two of them, grabbed Spain by his shoulders and yanked him from Bella's clutches. Perhaps it was Bella who was the most surprised since I don't think in a million years she expected me to then thread my fingers roughly in Spain's fucked up hair, pull him down to my level, and kiss him like my very life depended on it.

My mouth pressed firmly to his and for a few minutes, Spain was unresponsive. That state of shock did not last long and he was quick to close his arms around me and dip me a bit, swiftly taking over the kiss, his tongue swiping across my lover lips, asking permission to deepen it. I bit his upper lip and broke the kiss, Spain trying to lean forward and keep with me as I leaned back. It was not the best kiss I'd shared with Spain, but it was damn close if Spain's flushed face and half-lidded eyes were any indication.

"I get it, Roma. I'm yours." He whispered, running his hand up and down my spine as if to appease me. He kissed me a second time, but I was mostly unresponsive since my brain had finally caught up and exploded once I realized what I had just done. I just kissed Spain of my own free will. In front of Bella. What was worse, I instigated it. Dammit, Spain was never going to let me forget this.

"Shit," I pushed him away before he could try for a third kiss. "Bella, you didn't see anything! I planted my hands on Spain's back and started pushing him. "You and Spain are going to go on that date and forget this ever happened!" Spain dug his heels in and leaned back, stopping me in my tracks.

"Calm down, mi amado." He spun about so quickly I lost my balance and fell into him. He nuzzled my hair. "You worry too much," He murmured once I stopped resisting and just leaned on him, hiding my face in his shirt. There was no way I could face Bella.

"Lovi," I resisted the urge to peek out at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" Fuck, she sounded so upset. Makes sense, I just crushed any hope she had of getting with Antonio.

A hand landed on my shoulder and with a strong grip I was wrenched from Spain's arms and turned about to face her. Here it comes, she was going to slap me and then run out in tears. Maybe she'd tell Lars and he would show up and skin me alive.

She pulled me into a hug.

Wait, what?!

"You should have told me, you brat. Oh god, all those things I said must have sounded so horrible. I didn't even think – I should have known with how you were acting. Sweetie, I never meant to come between you and Antonio. I'm so sorry. I'm a home-wrecker!" She continued to babble, working herself up into a tizzy, tears building up at the corner of her eyes.

"Bella, stop!" I shouted, yanking free, my head no longer pressed to her bosom. "Dammit, woman, are you trying to suffocate me!" She released a watery chuckle. "It's my fault. I didn't tell you after all. I didn't really want anyone to know that there was…something going on between Spain and I." She giggled at me. She fucking giggled. "I swear to God, if you tell Lars, I will tell Belarus you have a thing for Russia."

"But I don't!" She sounded genuinely terrified as expected since Belarus was a crazy bitch.

"I'll tell her anyways." She probably knew I'd never do anything so horrible to her.

"Fine, Lovi, I'll keep your secret. At least until Hungary figures out what's going on and starts asking you to kiss at the World Meetings, assuming she doesn't already know. Then, all bets are off.

"She always does that!" I snarled. Bella just gave me a mischievous grin. It was beginning to look too natural on her face.

"So you are okay with this, Bella?" Spain asked, wrapping his arms loosely around my hips and molding himself to my back.

"Hey, bastard, just because I kissed you doesn't mean you can hang all over me whenever you want." I grumbled, apparently to Bella's amusement because she giggled that infuriating giggle again. To further enrage me no doubt, Spain just kissed the top of my head.

"You're cute when you pout, Lovino." I cast her a dark glare since I couldn't exactly cuss her out as I would anyone else. "Yeah, Antonio, I think it's actually pretty cute that you two are together. I mean, I like you, but I always suspected you two had a thing for each other, so I ignored it and hoped you two would be happy together. But when you two never got together, I decided to give it a shot." She shrugged light heartedly as if she hadn't just been rejected. "Don't look at me like that, Lovi. I'm not sad, not really. I'm…glad that you two are happy. You are happy, right?"

I rolled my eyes. She should know me well enough to know that this whole conversation was embarrassing for me on so many levels that there was no way in heel I'd admit to being happy with this bastard.

"Of course, amiga." Spain grinned. "I love my Roma." Bella squealed and for a moment I was worried she was turning into Hungary.

Why did he have to say things like that? This whole thing was embarrassing enough, I didn't need him confessing his love in front of Bella on top of what had already transpired.

"Well, I think I'm going to go before Lovino pops a blood vessel and dies from embarrassment." She walked up and pinched my cheeks.

"Yes, cause this is totally not embarrassing, Bella."

"Oh hush," She hugged me, this time not crushing me to her bosoms, and then Spain. "Thank you for lunch, I'll see you guys at the next World Meeting." She looped her arms through mine. "Would you mind driving me back into town, Lovi? I don't think Lars would be willing to pick me up here."

"Sure, Bells. Let me just get my keys."

"Okay!" She chirruped after me.

* * *

><p>"So how long?" She asked him as soon as Lovino had left the room.<p>

"You mean since Roma and I got together? I'm not sure, it's sort of complicated. A few months perhaps."

"Not that, Spain." She turned to look up at him, her green eyes sharp. "There is something…wrong with you. Just like Lovino, I grew up with you, I know when there is something wrong, and right now, there is something wrong." He shifted nervously under her stern gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm not stupid, so cut the crap, Spain. You disappeared from my sight three times while I was here and each time you came back, you were different, and I don't mean just your clothes. You were like a different person. So what are you and Lovino hiding?"

"Roma and I aren't hiding anything."

"That's another thing. Antonio _never_ calls Lovino, Roma; not unless he's upset, and you don't look upset. So I'll ask again, what's going on?"

"England may or may not have done something," He muttered after a few intense moments of silence which involved avoiding her eyes.

"So what did he do?"

"Umm, he, I'm not supposed to talk about this."

"Why? Who said you could talk about this."

"Roma and the others."

"The others?"

"España and An – Mierda! You manipulative little she-devil!" Bella just gave him her Cheshire grin. "Do not let Roma know I let that slip."

"I'll keep it to myself."

"Keep what to yourself?" Spain jumped about a foot then spun to face Romano. Bella just looked calmly at the other. "Got my keys." He spun them once on his pointer finger.

"How much you love Spain." She sang, waggling her eyebrows. Thank goodness Bella was a fast thinker.

Roma blushed a beautiful shade of crimson and Spain was sorely tempted to go kiss the little Italian and explore just how far he could get that color to spread. "Stop insinuating things! Do you want a lift or not?" He sputtered. "I'm leaving now!" He stomped out of the room. "And quit staring at my ass, you bastard." He yelled back, somehow Roma always knew when he was looking. Needless to say, Spain did not heed that warning. Not his fault, Roma's ass was a work of art that needed to be admired; but only by Spain, of course.

Bella chuckled as she followed Roma out, waving one last time at Spain.

"Te amo!" He yelled out after Romano.

"Vaffanculo!"

"Maybe when you get back, sí?"

"Lascia perdere, figlio di puttana!"

"Hey, you leave my mama out of this!"

Romano continued to yell back insults, Spain answering with laughter, until he slammed the front door shut behind him.

As soon as the sound of the front door slamming stopped echoing through the empty halls, Spain collapsed into one of the chairs. Shit, Roma was going to kill him if he ever found out. Sure, he might be able to convince Roma that she had just figured it out on her own like João had, which was sort of true, but chances are Roma would still be pretty angry.

He stood up, determined to go up and tell España about what happened, maybe even brag about getting a kiss from Roma.

"Dammit, I cut my hair for no reason."

* * *

><p>The ride back into town was mostly spent in silence. Bella at one point was texting, probably instructing Lars on where to pick her up. The silence was awkward and I was tempted to break it, but Bella beat me to it.<p>

"You can always call me if you ever need someone to talk to, Lovino." I nodded stiffly. "I mean it! I know you have a hard time expressing yourself, so I think it'd be good for you to have someone other than Antonio to talk about this with you.

"Okay, Bella."

"Do you love him?"

"Bella, I _will_ steer us into oncoming traffic to avoid this conversation."

"You and I both know that will only delay the inevitable. Besides, we're the only ones on this road; there is no oncoming traffic for you to swerve into."

"Bella, don't make me talk about this –"

"I just want to know–"

"I don't want to talk about it –"

"You'll feel better if you do –"

"I doubt it –"

"Come on, Lovino –"

"I don't want to –"

"Just answer the goddamn question!"

I slammed down on the breaks. Bella almost never cursed in front of me. I think I might be able to count on one hand the number of times she's used profanity in front of me. She must be serious.

"I don't know, Bella." I whispered after sitting quietly in the middle of the empty road for a few minutes. "I think I…I might…Please don' make me talk about this right now, Bells. It's really complicated and I don't want to think about it. I promised to call you about this sometime. It'll be easier if I can't see you and you can't see me."

She took my hand and squeezed it. "Sorry I upset you, Lovi. You call me as soon as you're up to it, okay, hon?"

"I will, Bella."

"Okay, now let's hurry up and go before Lars starts to worry about me."

"Somehow I sincerely doubt he'd worry. Might not ever notice." She hit me, but as expected, when we pulled into town, Lars was leaning against his car, smoking something (didn't really want to know what), and looking up at the sky. "See?" She pouted, but did not hit me again.

"Before I go and say my goodbyes, I just want you to know, if you ever hurt him, Lovino, I will beat the shit out of you." I nodded rigidly; it was a threat I believed without doubt that she could and would carry out. "However, if he ever does anything to hurt you, sweetie, and I mean anything, I want you to call me and I will be on the first train out here to personally straighten him out and then take you out for ice cream."

"Yeah, yeah, Bella. Will do."

"Okay, Lovino. I'll see you soon, yeah? Say goodbye to Antonio and the other two for me would you?"

"Will do-What did you just s –"

"Bye, Lovi!" She practically threw herself from the car and ran to Lars, snatched the cigarette (or whatever it was) from his mouth, threw it down on the ground and stomped it out before shoving him into the driver seat and leaping into shotgun. She smacked his arm until he turned the keys in the ignition and started to drive off. She turned around in her seat and waved at me as they pealed out of town, that evil grin on her face.

The whole time I just sat in my seat, staring blankly after her, too shocked to yell out questions. How in the fuck did she find out?

Shock was quickly replaced by anger, and I revved the engines and started speeding out of the town and down the roads back to Antonio's house, probably breaking every speed limit as I went.

Spain had a lot to answer for when I got home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Again, sorry this chapter took so long, was super busy, and might be super busy for the foreseeable future. I haven't really planned out the next chapter, but I have a general idea. Thanks for continue to reading this story and don't worry, I will not give up on this story.**

**The song I used in this was Caruso by Lucio Dalla. Sorry for any mistakes with the Italian, I don't speak it in anyway shape or form so there are most likely errors. **


	25. Ch 24: Impromptu Football Practice

**A/N:**

**I can't apologize enough for disappearing like that. To make a long story short, I had a craptastic summer and only recently (since classes started back up) have things calmed down enough that I've been able to write again. I can't promise you that I will be able to update regularly since I'll be graduating this year and probably going into grad school which means even more homework, but I will definitely try to warn you guys next time I have to take a hiatus. I have already said I'm going to finish this story and I will even if it kills me.**

**I would really like to thank you all individually for your reviews as I usually do but frankly, there are just too many reviews to sort through after such a long break. Regardless, I would like to thank you for your lovely reviews and PMs, I didn't get a chance to reply to most of them, and I probably won't, but from now on I will try to get back to responding to you guys so you don't think I disappeared off the face of the planet. Also, next chapter I should be able to get back to thank you reviewers. As usual, thanks to all my wonderful readers who stuck with this story, I can't thank you enough.  
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**I really hope you enjoy this chapter after such a long wait.**

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><p>Needless to say, Spain and I had had words as soon as I got home. The bastard tried to convince me that Bella just found out on her own, which, granted might be true, but I'm sure Spain let something slip, so he was banished from my room. Again. Spain had pouted, but seemed happy to have been let off the hook so easily. Besides, knowing him he'd just invade my room, just like he did last time, until I relented and let him share my bed again.<p>

Speaking of bed, Antonio and España were with me at the moment; Spain had been forced to a different room not too long ago. España had one arm around my hips and the other under my waist so that I was completely enfolded in an embrace. The hand of the arm underneath me was holding mine, our fingers intertwined, as he cradled me close. His face was pressed into my back, lips just brushing my spine and our legs tangled together. Antonio on the other hand was at the other end of the bed, facing me, but not touching. He hadn't really said a word to me since I got back from dropping Bella off. He had just stared into space, looking contemplative.

I reached across the space between us and laid my hand atop his. Antonio gave a quiet murmur, releasing his hold on the sheets and automatically turning his hand over so I could lace our fingers together.

"Lovi?" He whispered and for a moment I was afraid I had woken him, but he just smiled and buried his face deeper into his pillow, curly hair falling to cover his eyelids. He continued to mumble nonsense into his pillow as his fingers squeezed mine every so often.

"Bastard," I huffed with too much affection. I freed my hand and strained to reach him. I gently brushed the curls back from his face and was unable to pull away as my hand came to rest on his cheek. "You're a confusing, bastard. You know that?" I muttered as I freed my other hand from España's grip and took Antonio's questing hand again. España did not seem to notice the sudden absence but instead used the now free hand to grasp the front of my shirt and pull me closer to him. This meant that I was just out of reach of Antonio and only my fingertips touched his cheek. I struggled against España for a few moments before relenting to his unyielding arms. I poked Antonio's cheek sort of, but not really, hoping that it would wake him, but finally I resigned to just holding his hand.

"Romano?" The whisper in my ear had me yanking my hand back as if bitten, hoping España hadn't seen. "What are you doing, amorcito?"

"N-nothing," I stammered as I tried to squirm out of his arms so I could run away and hide my embarrassment.

"Were you trying to wake Antonio?" He asked even as he leaned over me, practically squishing me into the mattress, and reached to grab Antonio's shoulder.

I squirmed some more until I could get my arm free, then I latched onto España's wrist and stopped him from waking the sleeping tomato-bastard. "No, I wasn't trying to wake him. Let the stupid bastard sleep, España."

He didn't move; his hand hung suspended over Antonio's shoulder. "Then what were you trying to do?"

"I told you, nothing!"

España didn't say anything for a long while and I was beginning to wonder if perhaps his brain had checked out, but he then grabbed onto Antonio's shoulder anyways and pulled. I was about to start snarling curses at him when he just pulled Antonio up against me, Antonio's head coming to rest on my chest. España let him go and then wrapped his arm around both of us.

"Is this what you wanted, Romano?" He murmured into my ear, a yawn quickly following. He nuzzled along the shell of my ear when I didn't answer. "You should go back to sleep, mi amorcito."

I may or may not have let my arms encircle Antonio's shoulders. I certainly didn't nuzzle the curls on the top of his head though. It would also be preposterous to think that I let my fingers card through his hair and support him as he curled into my chest while wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Mmm, te amo, Lovi," Antonio mumbled into my shirt. I quickly checked to see if he had woken up but that stupid, sweet, bastard was just talking in his sleep. Even in his sleep we couldn't escape this conversation.

"Ti amo anch'io," I whispered slowly into the top of his head, hoping his thick skull would muffle the noise.

Dammit, I loved this bastard. I mean, I've always loved him, but not like this. I had loved him as a friend, maybe even as family, but now I had to admit it was something more.

"Damn you all," I grumbled even as I ran my fingers through his hair. "You all are responsible for this. If you could have just gotten along with England and gotten over your stupid feud, then none of this would have ever happened and you and I could have just lived our lives ignoring that there was anything between us."

"No we couldn't have, Romano," España whispered, making me jump again. Eavesdropping asshole. "Things had to change and I am glad that they did." He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. "Te amo." I could feel my ears heating up. "Now, I thought I told you to go to sleep. We can talk about this in the morning, Romano." He kissed my temple. "Go to sleep,"

I grudgingly did as he said, or at least I tried to. My brain was all geared up and I had a hard time quieting it down enough to sleep. I was sure España could hear the buzzing sound of my brain rattling around with thousands of thoughts because he unwound his arm from me and Antonio and instead started rubbing my back.

I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and I knew I was lost when he started humming a lullaby. Damn bastard used to pull this trick all the time when I was a kid. Eventually, all I was able to do was cuddle up to Antonio and let my eyes fall shut. "Buenas noches, mi amorcito."

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><p>"Lovi?" I flinched at the sound of Antonio's voice. After waking up this morning, he had first snuggled closer to me, cheerfully wishing me a good morning, but not even three seconds later it was like something had clicked in his brain and he all but flew from the room, not looking back at me as color flooded his cheeks. If he was searching me out now, he had either gotten over the incident from this morning or he was here to 'let me down easy'.<p>

Antonio rounded the corner, entering the living room and plopping down on the couch beside me. He set his head in my lap and took my book from me. Dammit, what could he possibly want?

"Lovi, I'm bored," He whined as he held my book just out of my reach and pouted up at me.

"So? I don't see how that's my problem, bastard," I grumbled, reaching for my book even as I resisted the urge to run my fingers through his hair.

"But, Lovi!" Damn that whine was irritating. "Aren't you bored too?"

"No, I was reading."

"But that's boring, Lovi. Sitting by yourself and reading a boring book is really no fun at all."

"Like you're one to talk, bastard," I groused, giving up my futile attempts to retrieve my book.

"Looovvviii!"

"Fine! Fine. For fuck's sake, what exactly am I supposed to do, bastard? Do you expect me to just wave my hand and poof you're no longer bored? There's not a whole lot I can do, dumbass." Antonio just grinned.

"Let's play fútbol, Lovi!" He suggested excitedly, quickly sitting up and grabbing my shoulders. "You like fútbol, sí?"

"Of course, dumbass, but there are only four of us in this house and neither Spain nor España know anything about the game."

"We could teach them!"

Good luck with that," I scoffed, finally snatching the book back from Antonio and shrugging off his grasping hands so I could lie back on the couch.

"You're just afraid I'll beat you. Just like I did at the World Cup."

"Bullshit!" I snarled, practically snapping back up into a sitting position and then shoving him off the couch. I leapt to my feet, flinging the soon-to-be forgotten book down on the couch, and stomped from the room. "Feli and I have kicked your ass numerous times."

Antonio was quick to regain his footing and gave me a happy grin as he followed me through the house. "So you will play, Lovi?"

I nodded, "Just don't cry when I kick your ass, Tonio."

"Hey, tomato bastards! Get your asses outside!" I yelled out after stopping briefly at the foot of the stairs then continued down the hall and out the front door. Antonio was practically skipping after me.

"So, Lovi?" That voice was too smug for Antonio, it sounded out of place. "Aren't you worried I'm going to beat you again next World Cup?"

"Like hell," I growled. "2014 will belong to me and Feli."

"I don't know, I think I might win again."

"You will not! Feli and I have won the cup four times already, next year we'll win for the fifth."

Antonio just shook his head and chuckled. Infuriating bastard.

"My Lovi is so cute."

"Fuck you!" I snarled, attempting to slam the front door on him. Again, he just snickered at the attempt and pushed the door back open with his hip.

"What exactly is going on?" Spain asked. He must have followed the sound of our bickering out onto the porch. "Are you kicking Antonio out?" He sounded hopeful.

"After yesterday, you're the only one I'd think of kicking out of this house, bastard," I grumbled as Antonio ran around to the back of the house, no doubt to get any gear we'd need from the shed.

Spain winced. "I am really sorry about that, mi amor. I did not intend for her to find out. Bella figured it out on her own."

"Uh huh." I stepped off the porch and into the yard, going to the big cork oak tree to stand under its shade. Spain pouted as he trudged after me.

"I mean it, Roma," He whispered, leaning into me and forcing me to back up against the tree trunk. He invaded my space, pinning me in with a hand on either side and touching our foreheads together. He ran the tip of his nose along the length of mine, his eyes half lidded as they stared into mine. "I would never do anything to make you mad like that."

"You're making me mad now, bastard," I said (probably less than convincingly), trying not to stare at that teasing smirk.

Spain pressed against me, his hips molding to mine, he moved from leaning on his hands to his whole forearm, his elbows now beside my shoulder. "I do not believe you, mi amado. You keep watching my mouth and wetting your lips." As if to provide an example he slowly swept the tip of a pink tongue along the expanse of his upper lip, ending by drawing the pale flesh along an incisor.

Dammit.

Our breathing seemed to synchronize until we were almost sharing the same breath and all I could think about, other than my rapidly beating heart, was the way that smirk seemed to be getting closer. As his lips gently touched mine, so far only pressing minutely, not demanding more, I pondered how I always managed to get myself into these situations and how I seriously needed to stop letting myself get pinned in. If I did, then none of this would happen.

"Te quiero," He breathed, our lips brushing with each syllable until he pressed them together again. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the one to initiate the second kiss and even if I was, Spain was the one who all too quickly deepened it; pressing forcefully, tongue drawing an identical path along my upper lip before attempting to plunge past my lips and twine itself with my own. He threaded his fingers through my hair, one hand at the back of my head, the other just at the base of my hairline, his thumb stroking along my neck.

"Spain," I gasped as he twirled that damned curl around a finger and slid a knee between my legs. "You bastard," I moaned right before his tongue finally swept past my open lips and traced my own; stopping only to sweep along the inside of my teeth as if to memorize, and then going back to encouraging my own tongue to respond.

I had to hold onto his shoulder to keep my knees from wobbling when he unwound my curl only to rewind it the other way. I shyly reciprocated, moving my lips against his. He tasted like coffee and blackberry jam and something that was entirely Spain. (España tasted the same so this must me what kissing the original would have been like). I whimpered at that thought, winding my arms around Spain's neck to pull him closer. Spain pulled back enough to nip at my lower lip and then began to trail kisses down my chin, my throat, and my neck. One of my hands grasped onto the back of his shirt as the other played with uneven locks of hair (I had still not fixed his damn hair) as I craned my neck back to give him room.

Why was he so good at this? I didn't just mean the kissing, but also the ability to make me lose all rational thought. Dammit, I was supposed to be angry at him. "I love you so much, mi tesero," He whispered into my throat, kissing even as he spoke. Maybe that had something to do with it.

Spain rolled his hips against mine, causing me to dig my nails into his back and making him moan. I don't think he did it intentionally because he stopped to just rest his head on my shoulder for a few seconds to catch his breath before renewing his quest to kiss every inch of my neck and shoulders. His hips once again pressed insistently against mine and Dios did it feel good –

"Fuck!" I shoved him away, trying to think of unarousing thoughts. England's cooking. Germany's face. France and the perverted rose – yep, definitely gone now. Spain stared down at my lips, his eyes still half lidded, pupils dilated with lust and obviously having the same issue I was if the beginnings of a tent were any indication.

"Umm…Spain." I forced my eyes away, looking instead at the house, hoping the others hadn't seen. I didn't see them, Thank god. "I – uh – I think you – we – should – uh, dammit." I backed away from him moving out from under the tree. "We should just not, er…touch each other. Just – stay over there." I blushed.

He was also flushed, but I think that had more to do with his current state of…arousal, rather than any embarrassment he might feel. His gaze roved over me, unconsciously licking his lips.

"Spain!" Something in my voice must have alerted him to…certain things because he shook his head, took in his surroundings: the rumpled shirt riding up my midriff, the swelling to my lips as well as the swelling of his – anyways, as soon as he took complete stock of the situation he truly blushed, his ears turning scarlet.

"Oh! Lo siento, Roma." He stumbled back from me, almost losing his footing. "I wasn't…it wasn't my intention – I'm going to go inside to cool off for a bit." He ran to the house, kind of awkwardly but swiftly.

"Dammit, that was too close," I muttered as I decided to go see what was taking Antonio so long. When I got to the back of the house, the shed door was wide open, gardening tools being thrown outside and grumbled Spanish pouring through the door.

"Antonio?" I called, peeking through just in time for a ball to come flying through the air directly at my face. It was only decades of practice that allowed me to catch it before it broke my nose.

"I found it!" Antonio shouted, emerging from the shed and grinning victoriously. "I found – Lovi?"

"You almost hit me in the face, bastard," I snarled, throwing the ball to him. Predictably, he caught it and his smile turned sheepish and apologetic.

"Lo siento, mi tomate." He gave me a tight hug, before he took my hand and started to lead me back to the front of the house.

He needed to stop touching me. It was reminding me too much of being caged in and thoroughly snogged by Spain and I really didn't need to make Antonio feel even more awkward around me, which would happen when I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and kissed him breathless –

Fuck! Stop thinking these things!

I twisted out of his grip and lengthened my stride to walk ahead of Antonio. Spain, hell, even España, would take advantage of my moment of insanity, but it would freak Antonio right the fuck out.

"So, Lovi, did the others show up yet?" I blushed glad my back was to him. There was no way I was going to tell him about that thing with Spain.

"I don't know." I sped up again, practically power walking to the front of the house. España was standing on the front porch leaning on the railing. Spain had yet to reappear. Shit, I had still not spoken to España about all the stupid mushy things I had said last night and I honestly hoped he would not remember and want to discuss it as he promised we would.

"What is going on, Romano?"

"We're playing a game, España!" Antonio interrupted. España gave me a dubious look but I eventually confirmed Antonio's enthusiastic reply.

"What sort of game, Romano?"

"Fútbol!" Antonio once again cheered, passing the ball to España who skirted around it and glared at it suspiciously as it continued to roll away from us and into the driveway.

"It's not dangerous, España – well, not usually," I muttered, remembering quite a few cleats to the back of a leg or elbows and sometimes even knees in the back (Not that I hadn't given back as good as I got), but it's not like I had ever minded.

"What do you mean by usually?" España grumbled as he walked over to the ball and gave it a nudge with his toe. He then slowly bent over and picked the black and white ball up for further inspection.

"Well – "

"It is not dangerous, España. It is a lot of fun. Lovi and I used to play all the time. Not recently. It has been too long," He pouted at me.

"Will you stop interrupting me, dammit? He's asking _me_ questions. Not you, tomato bastard." Antonio just gave me a silly grin.

"So why did you call for Spain and I?"

"Because," I shot that loud mouth bastard a glare fast enough that he shut his mouth again and continued giving me that stupid grin. "Antonio wanted to play and thought we needed more people."

"But Spain and I do not know this game."

"That's what I told him, but you all are stubborn bastards," I growled, about ready to smack that grin off Antonio's face. As I moved to do so, Spain stepped back out onto the porch. His hair was dripping and the front of his shirt was soaked with water. Probably cold water if the state of his – erm…his chest. Damn was that a tight shirt – not that I was looking or anything, but damn. I certainly wasn't remembering what it was like to be pressed up against it while being kissed so thoroughly I couldn't see straight; neither was I imagining what it would be like to run my fingers through those soaked locks. Son of a bitch, I had just calmed down and so had he seeing as his face was nowhere near as flushed as it was prior. That and he was no longer sporting a boner (Dios, I still can't fucking believe it). He did however look me over, pupils still a little dilated, but he quickly turned his gaze away when our eyes met.

"What's going on?" Spain asked, voice still a little husky at first before he cleared his throat. Probably for the best, that deep gravelly voice was doing nothing for my self-control. España looked between the two of us as Spain purposefully avoided looking at me. Of course España would pick up on that. Observant bastard. Just had to be smarter than the other two.

"Look, do you two want to play or not, because I can always go back inside and finish my book. It's not like I need to prove I'm better than this lazy bastard." I smirked over at Antonio. "We both know the truth."

Antonio actually stuck his tongue out at me before replying. "Maybe in the past, Lovi, but I'm pretty sure I'm the one with the FIFA Cup right now." Damn him and his perfect, smug face.

"You were just lucky. It's not like you were actually any good," I sniped.

"If that's true, then why would Feliciano say that you cheered for me in my match against Germany?"

"Because he's a fucking liar, that's why!" I was going to kill Feliciano next time I saw him. "I did not cheer for you, you bastard." I also had not worn one of Spain's old jerseys as Feliciano and I watched the game. That sure as hell did not happen. I may however have jumped a bit when Germany lost, but that was just because it filled me with immense joy to see the potato bastard taken down a few pegs, it had absolutely nothing to do with Spain's winning.

Antonio did not look convinced. "What?! It was either cheer for you or for Germany and there was no way in hell I was going to root for the macho potato, so don't look so pleased with yourself, bastard."

Antonio hugged me, as per usual. "You're so cute, Lovinito."

"Yeah, yeah. So fucking cute," I hissed, shoving his face away from mine when he tried to brush our noses together. He was not going to fucking Eskimo kiss me. That was not going to happen when I was still unsure whether I wanted to headbutt that stupid smile off his face or kiss it. "Are we going to play or not?"

"Of course, Lovi."

"Are you two going to play?" I asked España as I took the ball back from him. He looked as if he was done inspecting it for witchcraft anyways.

"I think I'm just going to watch for now," España answered, walking up to the porch, glaring at Spain as he went.

"I will observe as well, Roma" Spain said, watching España warily as the conquistador came up to the porch.

"Suit yourself."

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><p>I knew within the first five minutes that this was fucking pointless. Antonio had not once hip checked me, had not even tried to knock me off balance, and was all around acting like a fucking wimp. As much as I hate to admit it, he was still a good, but he wasn't great anymore. He could still dance circles around me when it came to footwork, but it didn't take much for me to steal the ball back from him or knock him flat on his ass. Even Feliciano was more aggressive than Antonio. Then again that's probably not a fair comparison since Feliciano was fucking terrifying when it came to football.<p>

It was only after I had scored a third point on Antonio that could have easily been prevented had he just slammed his damn hip into me, that I couldn't put up with his pansy ass any longer. The slide tackle that then happened would have gotten me a yellow card if not expulsion from a real game since it was obvious, probably even to the other bastards on the porch, that I had not been going for the ball. That and I took too much enjoyment in the sound of Antonio's back slamming onto the ground.

"Okay, what the hell, Antonio?" I growled as I stood over him, my hands on my hips. He propped himself up on an elbow and rubbed the back of his head.

"What are you talking about, Lov – " I kicked the football, sending it sailing past Antonio's head and into the makeshift goal as Antonio ducked for cover.

"Don't give me that bullshit! You're going easy on me - don't try and lie to me and say you're not because at the rate this match is going I'm not going to have any bruises afterwards, not a single damn one, you bastard. Why the fuck are you holding back? I bruise like a fucking peach and I'm going to leave this farce of a game without a single bruise to show for it. So what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I just don't want to hurt you, Lovi." He sat up but didn't make a move to get back on his feet.

"You never had a problem with it before and it's not like it actually hurts. This was supposed to be fun, dammit, but you're letting me win too easily."

Spain and España finally came over to investigate seeing as I was still glaring down at the sitting bastard.

"It is probably for the best that he didn't hurt you, Romano. I would not allow it," España said as he helped Antonio to his feet.

"Stay the fuck out of this," I hissed before turning my anger back on Antonio. "Stop treating me like I'm fragile. We're not even wearing cleats. It's not going to hurt all that bad if you trip me up or at least try to win."

"I-I don't think I can do that, Lovi."

Obviously the original Antonio did not get his aggression or competitive spirit from this wimp or there would have been no way in hell he'd ever have won the FIFA Cup. I'm not sure which one of the three that the aggressive part came from, but the encouragement Spain had been yelling at Antonio in the short time we had been playing was probably answer enough; that and he kept 'asking' Antonio if he was just going to let me walk all over him like that. If I wanted an actual match anytime soon, I'd have to teach Spain how to play or force those bastards to just accept each other already so I could have my Antonio back.

"I'm going to take a shower," I sighed tiredly, just giving up at this point.

"Can I join y –"

"No, Spain. You cannot." I slammed the front door behind me. I may have left the field with a few bruises but not a single one was from Antonio, they were all from Spain and his damn mouth.

"Great, just another fucking thing that England's damn spell has ruined." I tugged my shirt up over my head. It wasn't like I actually needed a shower after that serious let down, but maybe it would help me clear my head. Plus, I could avoid that conversation with España for a while longer. What the hell was I going to say to him? I love Antonio, but I don't think it's this one that I love. I love this Antonio, but he's not the same, he's not…enough? That doesn't make any fucking sense. I threw the shirt down on the floor as I entered my room and kicked the door shut behind me.

Maybe I _should_ go find España and just talk this all out with him. I'm not going to figure this damn mess out on my own. I stepped into my bathroom before slipping off my shorts and throwing them back to join my shirt. I locked the door behind me before stepping into the shower. I was just lathering shampoo into my hair when I heard my bedroom door open.

"Romano?"

"I'm taking a shower, what do you want, bastard?"

Whichever one it was walked up to the bathroom door and, well it sounded as if he slumped down in front of it. "Romano, you did not need to be so cruel to Antonio."

Seriously? This was what he wanted to talk about? I mean, I did feel bad for yelling at him, it's not his fault he just didn't have it in him to be aggressive, but there was no fucking way I was going to apologize. "I don't want to talk about this. Just leave me alone, I'm trying to take a shower."

"Fine, we can talk about something else, but I am not going away and if you don't answer me I'm just going to kick the door down."

"You wouldn't dare, you bastard." I could hear him start to stand up and I was sure any minute the door would come flying off its hinges. "Okay! Okay. Jesus. What exactly is it you want to talk about?" España, as I no longer had any doubt as to who was on the other side of that door, seemed to settle himself back down against it.

"You."

"What about me, bastard?" I asked as I continued with my shower, trying to ignore this guilty, twisting feeling in my gut. Why did he have to make me think about Antonio when I was trying so hard to just forget about him? About everything? "We practically live together. There's not much you don't already know about me."

"There's a lot I don't know about you, amorcito. Antonio probably knows you better than I do and even he is never sure about what you're thinking. I never know how you're feeling or what you actually want." After rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I let my head rest against the wall, unable to focus any longer. "So what is it that you want, mi precioso?"

"I want you to let me take my shower in peace," I grouched quietly. There was a vast silence in which neither of us said anything. "I don't know, España," I admitted, more than exasperated when the silence became too much and I was no longer sure if he was even still there or not, that he hadn't grown bored and left. "You all probably know me better than I know me." I turned the shower down from blisteringly hot to warm then sat under the spray with my arms circling my knees. "I don't – what exactly is it you want me to say?"

"I want the truth, Roma. I want to know if my affections are even wanted. Sometimes I feel like I'm forcing you to accept my affections and I don't want that. I want to know if you want this. If you want me," He said, his voice tired but impassioned. "I want to know if you care about me – about all of us. Last night you said that you loved Antonio, but how so?"

"I can't…" Shit, he was not going to make me cry. This bastard was not going to get me to think about all this. He was not – fuck. "He doesn't feel that way about me, España!" It would be hard to convince anyone that the watery tone to my voice was from the shower. "I – I'm not sure if any of you actually love me – I mean, how could you?"

"Romano, let me in." I didn't think he was talking just about the door.

"Just leave me alone, España."

"I can't do that, Romano." His voice was right against the door, and the handle jiggled slightly.

"Why the fuck not?" I yelled, hugging my knees tighter, and pressing my face into my knees, letting the water rush over me, all thoughts of washing up long forgotten.

"Please, just open the door, mi cielo. Just try and tell me."

"I don't know how –"

"Just try. Please, mi amor."

"I want him back," I screamed, as my shoulders began to shake and the water running down my face was more salt than shower. "I just – I want – I miss him, España." I had known that it was the original I was missing, that I'd lost, but having to actually face the reality of his absence hurt more than anything I'd ever experience. Even more than being abandoned or replaced, because there was nothing I could ever do to bring him back.

The handle twisted all the way, the lock broken under España's strength, but I couldn't bring myself to care as he stepped into the room, grabbed one of the towels from the rack and turned off the shower. He stepped into the shower and I found that I didn't give a damn about being naked in front of him. It's not like we hadn't taken baths together before. Then again, that was in the past when I was just a child and couldn't be trusted to not drown myself if left unsupervised. España wrapped the towel around me and scooped me up into his arms. He carried me just far enough from the shower that we were on the bathmat before sinking to his knees and just holding me tight and close.

"I know, Romano, and I am so sorry that I cannot be him. I wish I could be, but I just can't accept – I'm sorry."

I grasped the back of his shirt like a lifeline and just hid my face in his shoulder. I'd be embarrassed about falling into the a-shoulder-to-cry-on cliché later. "I-I would miss you too though. If he came back. I – I'm not saying that I love you or that pirate-bastard, but I…"

"Shh. It's all right. I understand, amorcito."

"It's just- it's all fucked up! I don't want to lose any of you, but I want the original back and I know you're all the same, but I, I've gotten so used to you all that I can't decide. How fucked up is that? Antonio is too damn confusing and Spain is – I don't even know how he feels. Does he love me?" I didn't give España a chance to answer. "I feel like he just _wants_ me. You…well you," I blushed all the way up to my ears. "I l-care about all of you. It's just so fucked – even Spain's hair is fucked up and I still have to cut it and there's just so much I don't know how to feel about. I really am sorry to Antonio, I wasn't really mad at him, but I just…he made me realize just how fucked up this all is and how it's all fucking England's fucking fault and why couldn't he have just fucking left well enough right the fuck alone and then maybe, eventually, Antonio or I or both of us would've fucking manned up and just gone for it, but probably not and now I'm not wearing any fucking pants, but I just can't give a shit, plus I know you won't molest me, or whatever – not that the other two would. Spain might have made a joke, but despite all his sexual tension bullshit, he wouldn't have pushed me and – why is that?"

"He loves you." I just stared at him unblinking as it finally clicked. "He loves you just as much as I do."

"H-he does…doesn't he." I looked down at his tear stained shoulder. "Why didn't I notice – why the fuck does everything make sense when you say it?" He shrugged. "Can you make sense of Antonio?"

"I don't think so, amorcito. I think he has to make sense of himself first." He kissed my temple carefully. "I do think he loves you though." I nodded mutely. "Come on, I think we could both use a siesta right now." He stood up, lifting me as if I weighed fucking nothing. Showoffy bastard.

"But I already had one."

He cautiously pressed his lips to mine, giving me ample time to turn away or simply tell him no. He hummed contentedly as I let our lips meet and even pressed back slightly. I did not, however, wrap my arms around his neck or some girly shit like that as I leaned into that kiss in order to deepen it. I did, however, wrap my arms around him so I wouldn't slip from his arms (not that I thought he would drop me) and so what if it actually did pull me close to him? It was just a side effect.

He carried me to my bed, setting me down and keeping the towel around me, all while continuing the kiss. As soon as I was settled on the bed he pulled away and walked to my closet. He pulled out pajamas which he then handed to me before politely turning away.

"Romano," He whispered as he crawled into the bed beside me once the towel was in the hamper and I was situated comfortably in my sleep pants under the sheets, well, as comfortably as one can be alone in a bed when used to being surrounded by others. "You do not mind when I kiss you, do you?" He lay down and just looked at me.

I flushed and rolled away. "Don't just say shit like that!" I spluttered. "Of course not."

"Romano," He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close, dropping a kiss down onto my shoulder blade. "Please tell me the truth. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Same applies for Spain. If he ever pushes you too far, just tell me, I'll stop him."

"I…I don't mind." Not at all actually. This was too damn embarrassing, Why did he have to bring this up? Spain never asked for my permission, but he still never pushed the boundaries. At least, not too much.

"You do not mind, but do you like kissing me and Spain?"

"I – y – Don't make me answer this," I whined as I hid my face in my pillow.

"Romano, I have to know."

"I already said I _care_ about you all, so can't you take a fucking guess?" He turned me over and rested his head on my chest.

"So is that a yes?" He smirked, nuzzling into my t-shirt clad sternum. Shit, that just made me think of Antonio again.

"Don't push it, asshole," I growled even as I played with his hair. What?! It was a habit by now. "It might be a yes…but don't think that means you can kiss me whenever you want! Spain already does that and it gets annoying."

"Is that what happened earlier?" He murmured, his voice muffled by my shirt and with sleep, but was still mildly threatening."

"That's none of your damn business!"

He raised himself up to stare down at me. "You enjoy kissing me too, so I think it might be."

"I never said I enjoyed it, bastard. Where the fuck are you getting that idea from?" He got that glint in his eye that always spelled trouble for me; though I usually saw that particular glint in Spain's eyes. "Don't even think about it," I hissed but was, regardless, pinned down by his weight and suddenly had a Conquistador in my face, his lips close enough to ghost teasingly along mine, but never actually touching. "Hey! I thought you didn't want to make me uncomfortable, you jackass."

"On the contrary, I think you are very comfortable right now, mi amorcito," He rumbled, brushing the tip of his nose along mine. "And if you enjoy being kissed by both Spain and I, I think I have a right to know who you enjoy kissing more."

"The fuck you do," I snarled, trying to squirm my way out from under him. His laughter was surprise enough to stop me. I don't think I'd ever heard him laugh like that.

"Alright, amorcito," He chuckled again. "Alright. I do not have to know who you prefer. Just get some rest, we can talk about this more later or you can apologize to Antonio."

"Fuck you and your ultimatums," I growled, rolling over so my back was to him. "If I apologize to Antonio it'll be because I want to. And we are not talking about this again, dammit. So you can just fucking forget that."

"If that is what you want, amorcito," He said amusedly. He grasped my chin lightly and turned my head to look back at him. "Sleep well, my love," He murmured as he sealed our lips together and ran his finger once through my hair.

"Yeah, yeah, you too…bastard," I muttered, maybe pressing a lazy kiss of my own to his mouth before rolling back over and closing my eyes, his warmth and the safety I felt in his embrace lulling me to sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you all for sticking with me. Next chapter shouldn't take that long since I'm already halfway done with it. **

**Right now I'd like to take time to point out an artist on DeviantArt who made me some lovely fanart for this story: ****edwardsuoh13**** I suggest you take a look at it as well as her other stuff:** ** edwardsuoh13 . deviantart (remove the spaces)**

**Other than that, I'd just like to let those of you who are following me that I'm probably going to be posting some non-Hetalia related one-shots in the coming months if you're interested.**


	26. Ch 25: When Turkey Attacks

**A/N:**

**First off, I am sorry for disappearing for so long. Obviously I'm not dead. Long story short, shit happened. If you'd like the long version of the story, I'll explain in more detail at the end of the chapter.**

**Secondly, I want to thank all of you who stuck with this story even though I dropped off the face of the earth for so long. I also want to thank those who saw that this story hadn't updated in almost two years but gave it a chance anyways. Thanks to all of you who reviewed either here or over on AO3; I think there were even a few of you who messaged me on DA. I didn't get a chance to reply or even read a lot of your reviews, due to aforementioned shit, and I'm sorry for that because I love that you all take the time to leave me a comment or even just a note of encouragement, it means a lot to me and I'll try to do better about reading them.**

**I can't promise to you guys that I won't go quite again, shit's still not great, but it's better and I finally had the time/will to continue this story and I thought you guys deserved this chapter and the rest of this story for your patience. I don't have the rest of it written up yet, but I still have the outlines for the last few chapters so, should life allow, I'll be able to write those up soonish. I do want you to know that even if I do disappear again, I'm still in love with this story and I want to finish it and I will try my best to do so. **

**So without further ado, here is Chapter 25. Thank you again for your patience. You guys are the best readers I could have possibly asked for.**

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><p>I woke up alone. I wasn't sure where España had gone, but seeing as it was later in the day and almost time for dinner, he had probably woken up a few hours ago and was currently terrorizing the neighbors or setting up a patrol through the tomato fields. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if he was burning the toaster at the stake or something as equally absurd. Well, without España it was too cold to stay in bed, plus I was starting to get hungry which meant the others were probably hungry too so I might as well go get dinner started or something.<p>

I stretched out my arms as I shuffled down the stairs. I must not have gotten enough sleep, that or I had been sleeping too much in the last few days, because my eyelids still felt heavy and my feet were dragging on the cold hardwood floor. I suppose it shouldn't have been surprising that I was so exhausted seeing as my main concern has been putting those tomato-bastards back together which I really couldn't do myself. It was draining dealing with the three by myself. Why couldn't they just go back to normal?

As I stumbled into the kitchen my nose alerted me to the wonderful smell of Antonio's cooking long before I even laid eyes on the Spaniard in front of the stove. I don't think he noticed me because he was humming the song he'd been dancing to just yesterday, as he stirred whatever was on the front burners. I hesitated under the arch, worrying my bottom lip as I watched Antonio sway in time with his humming, the strings of the tomato red apron I'd bought him just last year, swinging gently with his movements.

I'm not sure what compelled me to do it, but I soon found my arms wrapped around Antonio's waist and my face nuzzled into his back, eyes tightly shut as I held on to him. He had flinched when my arms first came around him, but was quick to recover and relax back into me, humming that song again.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I tangled my fingers in his shirt in what was probably a feeble attempt to prevent him from turning around or moving away. I was not going to let him see how red my face no doubt was, because that would only start him pinching my cheeks and cooing at me about my cuteness as he forgot my apology. I was only going to say this once, dammit!

"Did you say something, mi tomate?"

Okay, I was only going to say this twice. "I said…" I drew in a deep breath and tightened my hold marginally. "I'm sorry, Antonio."

His entire body seemed to lock up before he carefully put down whatever he was holding and turned down the burners. He stood motionless and rigid in my arms for a few moments; fearing that I'd messed up again I started to slip away. It was only when I had released him that he seemed to be stirred back into motion, turned around to face me, grabbed my wrists and pulled my arms back around him. He wrapped his own arms about my hips and led me away from the stove until we were leaning against a counter where we would be safe from the burners. He took hold of my chin and titled my head back until I was forced to look at him. His eyes were bright and his mouth turned up in a brilliant smile. He placed a kiss on my forehead

"I'll forgive you, Lovi, but only if you will forgive me." What the hell was he talking about? "I know I upset you earlier and while I'm not really sure how, I know it was my fault that you cried."

"Who the fuck told you that? I did no such thing, bastard!"

"Uh – no one told me, Lovi." He grinned nervously. "I just knew. I always know when mi tomate is upset."

"Uh-huh. I'm going to ignore that obvious lie for now." He continued to grin, pressing our foreheads together. "I forgive you, I guess – I didn't cry though!"

"Of course not, Lovi." He held me tight, burying his face in the crook of my neck. "Whatever you say."

"Hey, aren't you going to forgive me too?" I grumbled, pulling softly but insistently on his hair so he would look at me. I may have poked his cheek a bit as well.

"I already did, Lovi," He chuckled before picking me up and, faster than I thought possible for the lazy bastard, setting me down on the counter. He smiled up at me as he pressed himself tightly against me, his cheek resting on my sternum, once more making me wonder what his fascination with being held like this was.

"Te amo, Lovi."

I winced at the words but still let my fingers card through his hair before, sighing, I gave him a reply. "Ti amo…bastardo."

His eyes closed and he began humming once more. After a few minutes of just sitting there being cuddled by the tomato-bastard, I was beginning to feel awkward

"Are you going to let me down any time soon, Tonio?" He shook his head and held me tighter, pulling me to the edge of the counter so that he was, for the most part, the only thing keeping me from falling off. "You do realize that whatever you were cooking is probably burning, right?"

He whined at me wordlessly for a bit, but slowly moved away and went back to the stove, letting me back down onto the floor. "Lovi, could you go see if there are any tomatoes left in the garden? Harvest season is over, but those plants always seem to produce longer than they should." He asked after a few moments, moving around the stove, turning burners back up, stirring one of the pans and sprinkling spices into another.

"Why didn't you get them before you started cooking, bastard?" I grumbled, but moved to do so anyways. It's not like I'm unused to Antonio being unorganized, but forgetting about tomatoes was just ridiculous.

"Lovi~" I didn't even have to look at him to know he was pouting, I could just tell from the whiney tone to his voice. Despite knowing what I would see when I turned around, I looked. As predicted the pout was super pathetic, and kind of sad since he was staring at me with those big green eyes and – damn him!

"I'm going already, tomato bastard, just stop looking at me like that…and don't say my name like that, it's annoying."

"Gracias, mi tomate!" He chirruped before returning to the pans on the stove. I rolled my eyes but moved towards the door the back porch anyways.

"Stupid, pretty bastard," I murmured to myself as I scooped up one of the baskets from the porch and moved out into the practically empty tomato fields. There were a few bright spots of red scattered about but the field was mostly picked clean. Antonio was right about the garden lasting too long, I knew for a fact that my plants back home had stopped yielding fruit a few weeks ago. It's probably because he talked to the damned things or something equally stupid and adorable. Shit, I was so gone on this bastard.

As I moved through the rows I didn't see España anywhere, but that didn't mean the Conquistador wasn't somewhere nearby, lurking about in the shadows just waiting for unsuspecting trespassers. Maybe he was around front, who knows, not my day to watch him. I still wasn't sure where Spain was, but knowing him, he would turn up sooner or later to grope me.

I breathed in, letting my stress slip away for a few minutes as I got down in the dirt and started picking the last of the tomatoes from the vines. Gardening had always been the one thing to calm me down or clear my mind growing up and I was glad that stayed true centuries later. I wanted to lose myself for a few minutes and maybe sweep through the last few rows before returning inside, back to Antonio and his confusing face.

I heard footsteps behind me and figured it was Antonio wondering why I was taking so long. "I'm almost done, Antonio, just trying to pick the best for whatever it is you're cooking." I finally picked the last one, set it carefully with the others in the basket and stood up straight to stretch out my arms. "What are you cooking by the way?"

Instead of an answer I heard a vine snap.

Antonio would never step on a vine, he was always so careful not to cause any harm to his beloved tomatoes. Hell, even as a kid I knew not to mess with his tomato plants. I was also pretty sure that Spain and España were likewise cautious around the fields.

Whoever was behind me was not one of my Spaniards. I dropped the basket and wheeled around, careful not to break any vines myself as I took a few steps back. The white mask sent my heart beating into overdrive. Shit! What was he doing here? How had he gotten past España? More importantly, why wasn't España here right now with his halberd.

"Turkey! W-wh-what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking as I moved a few more steps back and over into another row; a futile attempt to put space between us since he simply moved over as well, snapping more vines on his way. I flinched at the noise; as much as the bastard still scared me, he was starting to piss me off. "Stop moving, asshole, and answer my question. What the fuck are you doing here?" I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to glare up at him.

He just smirked at my efforts, lips curling over his teeth. "I came to see you of course, I'd heard you were living with Spain now and I wanted to see if the rumors were true. I must admit I am surprised; after all, Antonio seemed like the shell of the man he once was when we _talked_ at the World Meeting. He's getting weak. Tell me, Romano, why would you want to be around him anymore? He doesn't act like he can or is even willing to protect you so why do you still hang off him like he's your guardian. I would treat you better, Romano."

"Fuck off! You never wanted me, you only wanted to hurt Antonio."

Turkey didn't try to deny it, he simply shrugged.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Antonio is _not_ weak. There is nothing wrong with him and even if there was, I don't need him to protect me, I can defend myself."

"Is that so? Then why does he always fight your battles? Why do you always run to him at the first sign of trouble?"

"I'm warning you, Turkey, just get out of here. You've seen me, you confirmed that I'm living with Antonio, and we had this terrible chat. You've done what you came here to do. Now leave."

"Oh, but I didn't just come here to see you, Romano. I came here to take you with me."

I probably shouldn't have laughed.

"You can't be serious, Turkey. I'm not a colony anymore. You idiots can't just fight over me and think I'm going to go willingly with the 'victor'. I'm my own nation now and if I decide I want to stay here with Antonio, then that's exactly what I'm going to do. More importantly, what I do and who I stay with is absolutely _none_ of your business. Now get out of here."

His grin slowly slid off his face, a sneer replacing it. "The matter was never up for debate, Italy." He growled striding forwards once more, breaking more vines on his way. He grasped my arm, his grip strong and painful, and attempted to haul me out after him.

"Let go of me, you fucker!" I swung at him with my free arm, but he just caught my wrist and squeezed until something cracked. I bit my lip and tried not to scream; I was not going to let this bastard have the satisfaction of seeing me cry. His sneer froze for a second at the sound, concern (or at least something close to concern) marring the disdainful look, but only for a second and then he was back to dragging me through the field and away from the house.

"I am sorry, Romano, but as you said, this isn't about you, so just come with me and I won't have to hurt you again."

"Go fuck yourself."

I cradled my arm to my chest, trying to ignore the pain for now. As a nation, the break would heal soon and then I was going to take another swing at that asshole's stupid mask.

"That was rude, Italy. Spain may have tolerated that language, but I will not."

"Let me reiterate," I said as I felt the bones starting to snap back into place. "Go. Fuck. Yourself." As he turned back on me, whether to backhand me or scold me I don't know or care, I took another swing at him, my fist landing solidly against his jaw. Unfortunately the punch wasn't strong enough to break said jaw, but it did send him reeling back just enough that I could break free of his grasp and sprint to the house.

I knew Turkey would recover quickly from the punch so I ran as fast as I could, bypassing the stairs entirely and just leaping onto the porch. I shoved my way through the door only to collide with Antonio's chest.

"Ah! Lovi, I was wondering why you hadn't come back yet. Where are the tomatoes? Did you forget them? Also, why are were you running, is something wrong?" I tried to shush him, but he just kept rambling out questions all while trying to hug me. "Is something wrong, mi tomate?"

I was going to push past him so I could use him as a shield, but then I would be doing exactly what Turkey predicted. I was not going to prove that bastard right, so I turned back around to face out the door. I took a firm position in front of Antonio and balled up my fists as I watch Turkey stumble up to the steps, rubbing his jaw and giving me the darkest glare I'd ever seen from the other nation. Granted, it was not an España worthy glare, but it still made promises of pain. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to be afraid. Okay, that was a lie, I was a little afraid, but he had come here with the express purpose of hurting Antonio and I wasn't going to fucking let that happen.

"I thought I told you to get the fuck out of here, Turkey," I seethed, remaining firmly between him and Antonio, even as the tomato bastard tried to pull me behind him once he had spotted Turkey.

"Sadiq, what are you doing here?" Antonio asked, sounding more shocked than angry. I refused to be moved even though Antonio kept trying to shield me.

"I came here for, Romano."

I knew that despite being a rather non-violent person Antonio would be angered by that, but I was not prepared to be bodily moved, picked up and set behind him.

"It sounds like Lovino does not want to go with you, Sadiq. He may not be my colony, but you will not take him from me too."

Shit, now was not the time for Antonio to be bringing up his jealousy-issue-thing. Sure Turkey may not quite get what the tomato bastard was talking about, but he wasn't a complete moron and he caught that last word.

"Who else tried to take him from you, Spain? With how weak you've gotten, I'm surprised they didn't succeed." As Turkey continued to throw insults at Antonio and said bastard refused to let me defend him or even step around him, I noticed the other two finally entering the backyard; Spain from one side of the house, España from the other. Spain seemed content to watch for now, though should things head south I was sure he would intervene. España on the other hand looked furious and had already retrieved his halberd. I sent a minute shake of my head at him, hoping he would understand and hold off for now.

Antonio did not seem to mind any of the insults Turkey threw at him, he seemed to be ignoring them for the most part; simply making sure he did not take any steps towards me.

"You're too weak to protect Italy. I'm surprised he's even still around you since you're no longer able to protect him. What use are you to him? If I don't take him, someone else will, or he'll come to his senses and leave you. It's bound to happen sooner or later, Spain."

Antonio froze at that, his muscles tensing up and his hands clenching into such a tight fist that I could hear his knuckles pop.

"Don't worry, Antonio, I probably won't keep him for too long. After all, I'm not actually sure who would want to have that loud-mouthed, useless brat around."

I could swear that Antonio stopped breathing, his whole body going ridged. I could see Spain starting to advance on the unsuspecting nation and España who had actually been adhering to my warning was just shy of storming onto the porch behind Turkey.

Months ago those words would have brought up memories of Austria and they would have hurt more than anything else Turkey could say or do to me. I would have believed those words then, but with all of the reassurance and affection I had received from Spain and España and even Antonio, I could only roll my eyes at the insult. He was obviously just trying to rile Antonio up and to my surprise he succeeded.

Something about the way Antonio wound back his fist and then sent it flying, faster than I thought possible, into the other nation's face gave me chills. The short whistle of approval that came from Spain made the action all the sweeter, even if it wasn't as satisfying to hear as the sound of Sadiq's nose crunching beneath Antonio's fist.

The force of the punch sent Sadiq back down the stairs and onto his ass in the dirt. I think the pain must have deafened him because he had yet to notice Spain or España even though the former was laughing his ass off. I myself had to bite my lip to keep the sudden burst of laughter the stunned look on Sadiq's face caused.

Antonio still looked pissed even after that beautiful right hook. He stepped off the porch advancing on Turkey.

"You will _not_ say such horrible things about my Lovinito." He said as he grabbed the front of Turkey's shirt and hauled him to his feet. "He is _not_ useless. He is sweet and kind and infinitely patient with me, even when I was at my worst." Antonio was right in Turkey's face now, looking like he was only moments away from shifting the grip of his hands to strangle the other nation. "He took care of me at the risk of his own health when I was sick and weak and then asked for nothing in return. His only flaw is that he cannot see how wonderful of a person he is." I could feel my face heating up at the praise and had to push down the urge to deny what he was saying. "If you ever threaten him or insult him again, I will not kill you, but I will make you wish that I had."

Spain came forward now, seizing the back of Turkey's neck and squeezing when it looked like the other nation was getting back his bearings enough to take a swing at Antonio. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Although, make no mistakes, Sadiq, he won't kill you, but I will once he's done with you."

"Assuming I don't get to you first," España growled, bypassing his counterparts with only a quick glower at Turkey, before joining me on the porch. He inspected my previously broken wrist, fingers brushing carefully over the already fading bruise. "I could be persuaded to kill him now if you would prefer that, mi amorcito." He murmured to me as he bent to kiss my wrist.

"I'd rather you didn't," I said, snatching my wrist back before he could do any more embarrassingly cutesy, coupley shit. "The whole point of keeping you and Spain a secret from the rest of the world was to stop you from starting a war over something as stupid as Turkey trying to intimidate me. Besides, even if you killed him, he would just come back since his country isn't fading."

"He hurt you though."

"Yeah, and it's already healed. He's a colossal asshole but he's not a complete moron; he couldn't have actually taken me away or hurt me permanently without starting a war between our nations and I don't think that's something his people actually want. He just wanted to hurt Antonio, to hurt all of you."

España didn't look pleased, but at least he looked less murderous. I couldn't say the same for Antonio who was helping Spain forcibly escort Turkey away from the house. España and I followed their path to the front of the house, the Conquistador holding my hand, his thumb brushing over my wrist as if he still needed proof that the injury had healed.

When we finally got to the front of the house, Antonio was shoving Turkey into his car and Spain was standing off to the side, acting as a barrier should Turkey try to make a break for it. They were ignoring Turkey's demands for an explanation and I'm sure if I could've actually convinced that douche canoe to keep España and Spain a secret I would have given him some threats of my own before letting him go, but I knew that nothing I said would stop him from calling anyone that would listen as soon as he was back in his own country.

So, as he pulled out of the driveway I flipped him off, already making plans to call Greece and warn him that Turkey had shown up at Antonio's house, thrown around some absolutely wild accusations, and tried to start a war with both Spain and myself, all before driving off with a crazed sort of look in his eyes. Clearly the nation was insane and nothing he said could be taken at face value. Especially not rumors of there being three Spains. Greece would wake up at the first mention of Turkey making an ass of himself and then spread the news of Sadiq's mental decline like wildfire; it would reach every corner of the globe long before Turkey could make any of his owns calls. That bastard would be lucky if anyone even answered his calls once Greece was done.

I went inside to do just that while the tomato-bustards continued to linger outside to make sure Turkey had actually left, not that I honestly think he'd stay after being faced with not one furious Antonio, but three. It took a few tries for Herakles to actually answer his phone, no doubt I'd interrupted one of his many naps, but once I mentioned Turkey's name he was fully alert and more than happy to tell everyone else about Sadiq's latest act of dickery.

I said my goodbyes so Herakles could start making calls, not at all feeling guilty for ruining another nation's reputation, and hung up. After all, everything would go back to normal in a few weeks. It wasn't like Turkey was an ass to everyone and sooner or later people would forget, but for now, I was just satisfied to know that no one would believe him about the tomato-bastards and I wouldn't have to prepare for every nation to show up at once demanding answers. Now all I had to do was hope that the few nations that already knew Antonio's secret would keep their damned mouths shut when Turkey called.

Antonio finally came inside, the other two trailing behind him and though they looked like they wanted to say something to me, they split off towards the living room. Antonio remained in the room, moving to embrace me as soon as the others left.

"Are you alright, Lovi?" He said, nuzzling into my hair, hands rubbing soothing circles into my back.

"Of course I am, b…Antonio." I let my own arms encircle him. "Turkey didn't really hurt me and even without you there I could have handled him…Thank you for punching him though. That was," I took a deep breath, it was still a struggle to compliment him, but I was going to fucking do it. "That was impressive, Antonio."

"I didn't really think about it." When do you ever. "He insulted you and I was just so angry." His arms tightened around me. "I couldn't let him say those terrible lies."

"You didn't have to stand up for me either," I blushed, remembering the things Antonio had said in my defense. "I knew he was just being an asshole."

"Still, he shouldn't have said those things. You are not useless or a brat."

"He also called me a loud-mouth in case you forgot." He flushed but didn't make any move to deny it. For some reason I couldn't find it in myself to be angry about that. It was true after all.

"Well, I-I mean, you are kind of loud, Lovi – Not that that's a bad thing! You're just very opinionated and I –" I'm sure he would have continued to blather excuses if I hadn't have laughed. He fell silent, his eyes wide at the sound.

"It's fine, Tonio." I nudged him back a bit. "I know I'm loud. What he said didn't bother me and you don't have to apologize for the things he said." He eyes softened and before I knew it he was leaning down and placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Still, you should be told how wonderful you are, Lovi." He drew me back into a hug.  
>"I hope that one day I can convince you of that. I love you, Lovi."<p>

I blushed up to my ears, forgetting for once that he didn't mean it _that_ way. I grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him in close, pressing my face into his shoulder. "I love you too, bastard." I said, my voice probably too muffled by his shirt to be understood but it felt good to say (Though I would deny it if anyone were to ask). Instead of pulling away after such an admission, even though he probably hadn't heard it, I stood in his embrace and let myself be cuddled and cooed over. I'd be embarrassed if anyone else were around to see, but for now I had the luxury of pretending that it was just Antonio and I.

Antonio and I and a burning smell.

"Antonio…did you turn the stove off before you came outside?"

"The stove? What – Mierda!"

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><p>"To be honest, without us, I didn't think he had it in him." Spain admitted as he sank into one of the couches. España moved to sit in one of the armchairs, keeping an ear turned towards the hallway where Antonio and Romano were conversing.<p>

"Neither did I, but I am happy to know that even with his pacifist nature, Antonio is willing to fight for our Romano." Spain snorted. "What?"

"You called him _our _Romano." Spain said, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"…So?"

"What happened to you not wanting to share him with me?"

"A lot of things have changed, Spain. Romano has changed. Antonio has changed. We all have. I love Romano and more than anything, I want him to be happy. If that means sharing his affections with my doppelgangers then so be it. If that means accepting you all so we can become one person again, then it will take some work, but I'm willing to try. For him."

"As much as I'd like it to be so, not everything we do can be for Roma. We have to want this for ourselves as well."

"I know, and that's why it will be difficult, but I no longer believe it's impossible."

"Until today I would have thought Antonio breaking Sadiq's nose and threatening him with bodily harm was impossible. If that was possible, then I think anything might be." Spain shared a grin with the Conquistador.

"We still need to help Antonio get over his hold ups, but I don't think I would mind being a part of someone who was that willing to stand up for the one he loves."

"Neither would I. I'm not sure how we're going to help – Do you smell that?"

"Mierda!" Antonio darted out of the hallway, scrambled through the living room and into the kitchen, Romano hot on his heels.

"I can't believe you forgot to turn off the fucking stove! You could have burned the house down!" Spain and España exchanged a look before following the other two into the kitchen.

España couldn't help but roll his eyes as Antonio tried to deal with the mess that was supposed to be dinner, Romano kept yelling insults even as he helped to put out the fire, and Spain just sat down at the table and laughed. It looked like he was going to have to interfere before Antonio started crying and Romano launched himself at Spain for being "absolutely no help whatsoever! Get off that goddamn chair and help us, asshole, or I'm going to lock you all out of my room tonight!"

That seemed to motivate his counterpart since Spain bolted to his feet, rolled up his sleeve and got to work. España couldn't stop the chuckled that escaped him at the scene, but quickly swallowed it as Romano's wrath turned on him.

Eventually they put out the fire, cleaned off the stovetop, took what remained of their dinner outside before it could stink up the rest of the house, retrieved the tomatoes, cooked another meal, and sat down together to have dinner.

As they ate, España watched the small smiles that Romano tried to hide whenever Antonio talked, the way his eyes lit up whenever Spain flirted with him (even if he did hide it behind indignant blustering), or even the way his face seemed to soften whenever España's eyes met his and wondered if this is what it would be like when he became one person again. Would they still have meals together? Would all those lovely expressions blend together whenever Romano looked at him, at the real Antonio?

España was determined to find out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks again for your patience guys. I'm going to try my best to give you a summary of what my life has been like the last two years. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but before the hiatus, my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His conditioned deteriorated quickly and he died that summer (2013). At the same time my family found out that my mom had breast cancer. Everything turned out fine, she didn't end up needing chemo, but it wasn't the only cancer scare.**

**Sometime after I posted Chapter 24, we found out that my sister had thyroid cancer, it was removed before it could spread, but she's still going to have to have checkups every few years so there's still a possibility it will return. She seemed to handle it better than the rest of the family did.**

**During my Spring Semester (2014) I myself was having some serious health issues, they're still present, but they're not as bad. I went to a few doctors, had a lot of tests run, spent a ridiculous amount of money, was told for a while there that I had colon cancer, then that I had Crohn's Disease. Eventually, I was told that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me and I was making everything up. I didn't handle that well. **

**I have been dealing with mild depression since I was in high school, but it was never bad enough that I needed to be on medication. The news that there was nothing wrong, that my doctors didn't believe me and that my own family thought I was making things up, kind of made it all worse. I became apathetic towards everything, towards school (I graduated because quitting would've taken too much effort, but I gave up on grad school), towards work, even towards my friends and family. **

**I used to write all the time, not just because I was writing for you guys or for school, but because it helped make me feel **_**something**_**. ****After everything that happened though, I couldn't even write for myself anymore. I certainly couldn't bring myself to care about this story and though I felt guilty that I wasn't working on it, I also didn't have the will to even try. Seeing all of your reviews, while helpful, made me feel guilty, so after a while, I just stopped reading them. I'm sorry to all you guys who took the time to write to me, I'll try to read them eventually, but I'm still trying to sort myself out. I don't mean to discourage you guys from leaving reviews, I genuinely appreciate them and on the good days, they help.**

**Things are better, I'm writing again and it's helping me more than anything else has. I love you guys for sticking with me and for being such awesome readers; I'll try to reward you for your patience.**

**- E**


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